Hundreds of billions of locusts swarm in East Africa
Hundreds of billions of locusts are swarming through parts of East Africa and South Asia in the worst infestation for a quarter of a century, threatening crops and livelihoods.
ReutersA man attempts to fend off a swarm of desert locusts at a ranch near the town of Nanyuki, in Laikipia county, Kenya
ReutersMen try to repel locusts flying over grazing land in Lemasulani village, Samburu county, KenyaThe insects, which eat their own body weight in food every day, are breeding so fast numbers could grow four hundredfold by June.
ReutersA swarm of newly hatched desert locusts are seen on a tree as men look on, near the town of Archers Post, Samburu countyIn January, the UN appealed for $76m (£59m) to tackle the crisis.
That figure has now risen to $138m.
ReutersA man walks by locusts in the region of Kyuso, KenyaBut so far, only $52m has been received, $10m of which has come this week from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
AFPUganda Peoples Defence Forces soldiers spray trees with insecticides in OtukeThe main threats are in East Africa and Yemen, as well the Gulf states, Iran, Pakistan and India.
Getty ImagesA stalk of sorghum seeds partially eaten by locusts (left) is held next to an undamaged stalk in Nairobi, Kenya
AFPSwarms feed on shea trees, an important source of food and income for local farmers, in OtukeMost recently, locusts have been seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo and swarms have arrived in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar and along the coast of Iran.
Getty ImagesA UPDF soldier prepares pesticide equipment in Katakwi
AFPA UPDF soldier sprays plants with insecticides in OtukeAerial and ground spraying combined with constant tracking of the swarms are viewed as the most effective strategies.
But Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa head Stephen Njoka told BBC News aircraft were in short supply.
Currently, Ethiopia was using five and Kenya six for spraying and four for surveying, he said.
AFPA woman holds a plastic bottle filled with locusts in Lopei, UgandaBut the Kenyan government says it needs 20 planes for spraying - and a continuous supply of the pesticide Fenitrothion.
AFPA UPDF soldier holds a locust in Otuke
Getty ImagesA desert locust is held in KatakwiKenya has trained more than 240 personnel from affected counties in monitoring of locust swarms.
EPAA man runs through a desert locust swarm in the bush near Enziu, Kitui county, about 200km (124 miles) east of the capital, NairobiThe Chinese government announced in February it was sending a team of experts to neighbouring Pakistan to develop "targeted programmes" against the locusts.
According to reports, they could deploy 100,000 ducks.
AFPLocusts swarm across a highway at Lerata village, near Archers Post, about 300km north of Nairobi
EPAA local tour guide holds a handful of dead desert locusts in Shaba National Reserve in Isiolo, northern KenyaLu Lizhi, a senior researcher with the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told Bloomberg the ducks were "biological weapons".
And while chickens could eat about 70 locusts in one day, a duck could devour more than three times that number.
"Ducks like to stay in a group, so they are easier to manage than chickens," he told Chinese media.
EPAA desert locust swarm flies over a bush in Ololokwe, Samburu county.
BBC in other languagesInnovationncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o67CZ5qopV%2Bjsri%2FjqKlZqiZmMG2vsSsZG5pZmaFcoSX