Due to long periods of rain around Eritrea and Sudan, spreading through Africa, along both sides of the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, Egypt is preparing to face down a “biblical” locust plague, one that will make the 12 million hectares treated in Africa between 2003 and 2005 -which cost $750 million- seem minute.
Joel 1:4 What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;
and what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten;
and what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.
The huge swarms of locusts are being compared to one of the 10 plagues of Egypt, talked about in the Book of Exodus when God released the plagues upon Egypt following the pharaoh refusing Moses’ demand to free enslaved Israelites.
The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) explained that the long periods of rain have contributed to two generations of breeding and a substantial increase in locusts. The FAO is set to meet in Jordan this week to discuss control measures for the countries who are experiencing the locusts, who destroy crops as they swarm through.
Adult locusts can eat their body weight in food and fly up to 150 kilometers each day.
In mid-January, one swarm crossed the border into Saudi Arabia, with even more swarms following behind a week later.
Keith Cressman, who is the UN’s locust expert (yes, apparently that’s a thing) warns:
“The next three months will be critical to bring the locust situation under control before the summer breeding starts. The further spread of the current outbreak depends on two major factors — effective control and monitoring measures in locust breeding areas of Sudan, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia and the surrounding countries, and rainfall intensity between March and May along both sides of the Red Sea and in the interior of the Arabian Peninsula.”
“Pest control experts have already treated up to 200,000 acres of land in Egypt and surrounding countries since December 2018”, reports Standard Media.Will it be enough?
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