Mbeere South residents have been told to use pepper to smoke out locusts from their farms since the sprays are not killing the voracious insects as fast as expected.
Area legislator Geoffrey King'ang'i said since the residents use pepper smoke to effectively rid the area of other insects, they should it on the creatures which are wreaking havoc on muguka (miraa) farms.
The locusts arrived in Mbeere South from Kitui through Isako on Friday and are ravaging shrubs and anything green in Kiambere, Karigu, Karura and Mutuavare.
They had yesterday (Monday) spread to Mariari and Mavuria where muguka is grown in large quantities. The stimulant is the economic lifeline of Mbeere South.
The miraa farmers are now desperate and some have been applying pepper smoke method to chase away the creatures.
“We are burning pepper to produce smoke so as ward off the insects but the method is not working," one of them said.
King'ang'i at the same time advised his constituents to harvest mature food crops like millet, sorghum and green grams and store them in granaries.
The farmers have since Saturday been doing so 24 hours a day.
Locusts move at high speeds, often covering 150 kilometres a day.
The MP thanked the government for deploying a plane to spray the insects. He hoped the chemicals used to spray the insects will be effective.
Kiambere Ward Representative Lenny Mwaniki described the situation as desperate and warned of famine if the chemicals are not effective.
Mbeere South Deputy County Commissioner Charles Igiha assured residents that the insects will soon be controlled.
