Regional training in Uzbekistan strengthens capacities in locust and grasshopper identification
FAO and the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) co-organized a regional training on the identification of locusts and grasshoppers, including the saxaul humpback grasshopper (Dericorys albidula), in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, on 29 June-4 July 2026. This highly specialized training brought together eight locust specialists, i.e. two from Kazakhstan, two from Turkmenistan and four from Uzbekistan. The six-day training combined field surveys and specimen collection in Bukhara region with classroom sessions on acridid taxonomy, morphology and identification techniques in Bukhara city.
Biopesticide treatments against locusts successfully conducted in Tajikistan
Treatments using the biopesticide Metarhizium acridum were carried out against Moroccan and Italian locusts in Tajikistan during the 2026 campaign, with very good results. The treatments were conducted by the State Entity "Locust Control Expedition" (SE-LCE) under the Ministry of Agriculture. In total, 200 hectares (ha) were treated, including 10 ha against 2nd–3rd instar Moroccan locust hoppers on 18 April in Tursunzoda, Districts of Republican Subordination, and 190 ha in May in Zafarabad district, Sughd region.
Guidelines on Locust and Grasshopper Monitoring in CCA now available in English
The Practical Guidelines on Locust and Grasshopper Monitoring in Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA), published in last February in Russian, have just been issued in English. They cover the identification and morphology of three main economic locust and 12 grasshopper species in CCA, as well as a detailed methodology of locust surveys and creation of reference collections. This 125-pp. publication targets specialists from plant protection services of CCA countries, as well as students, researchers and scientists. It contains over 140 illustrations. It is the third volume of the series related to locusts in CCA, following the Practical Guidelines on Pesticide Risk Reduction for locust control in CCA (2019) and the Practical Guidelines on three locust pests in CCA (2020), published in English, Russian and other languages.
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Joint locust monitoring confirms a stable situation along the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border
From 25 to 31 May 2026, 10 000 hectares (ha) were jointly surveyed in border arears between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan by a nine-member team, comprising four experts from the Kazakh Republican Methodological Centre on Phytosanitary Diagnosis and Forecasts, Ministry of Agriculture, and five specialists from the Kyrgyz Department of Chemicalization, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry. The surveys covered 5500 ha in Almaty and Zhambyl regions of Kazakhstan and 4500 ha in Chui, Talas and Issyk-Kul regions of Kyrgyzstan.
Locusts and grasshoppers are serious threats to food security and livelihoods, agriculture and economies in Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA). Three locust pests, the Italian (CIT), the Moroccan (DMA) and the Migratory (LMI) locusts, jeopardize food security and livelihoods in both regions as well as in adjacent areas of northern Afghanistan and southern Russian Federation. Over 25 million hectares of cultivated areas are potentially at risk with 7.6 million hectares infested annually and nearly 4 million hectares treated annually, with associated risks on human health and the environment.
Locusts have a high capacity to multiply, form groups, migrate over relatively large distances (they can fly up to 150 km per day) and settle and breed in various habitats. These capacities enhance their pest status at regional level. Locusts are becoming even more dangerous in the context of exceptional weather events associated with climate change, due to their very high capacity to take advantage of new situations.
Current Locust Situation
No. 110 May 2026
23/06/2026
Moroccan locust (DMA) hopper development was almost completed in Central Asia (CA); mass fledging and mating started, as well as egg-laying in the southern areas. DMA hatching was observed, followed by hopper development, in Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Russian Federation. DMA situation in May was classified as a threat by all CA countries and as calm in Caucasus and the Russian Federation.
Caucasus and Central Asia - Countries
Key Facts
- 10 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
- 3 locust pests: Italian (Calliptamus italicus), Moroccan (Dociostaurus maroccanus) and Asian Migratory (Locusta migratoria) Locusts.
- 25 million ha of cultivated areas under threat and at least 20 million people at risk, including the most vulnerable rural populations.
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