• You can dry or fry the desert locusts for a nutritious meal, an entomologist has said.
• These locusts are edible and besides the aerial spray that the government is doing, people should start harvesting them and eat them with ugali.
Image: BBC
You can dry or fry the desert locusts for a nutritious meal, an entomologist has said.
Dr. Muo Kasina chairman of the Entomological Society of Kenya has said the locusts are rich in proteins.
He says the country needs to use different methods to control the insect as they are likely to spread across the country if immediate action is not taken.
The locusts have so far been reported in five Counties including Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Isiolo, Garissa and Meru.
“These locusts are edible and besides the aerial spray that the government is doing, people should start harvesting them and eat them with ugali. They are rich in proteins which is a constraint in the country,” Mua said.
He further said that the more the rains, the more the desert locusts invade the country due to favorable weather conditions, an entomologist has said.
“As they fly, chances are that they are mating and they will breed locally. These insects are likely to identify suitable habitats where the populations are likely to propagate,” he said.
He was speaking during a press briefing at the National Museum of Kenya on the current locust invasion.
In February last year, UN-Food Agricultural Organisation issued an alert the invasion of the desert locust invasion which was first reported in Yemen.
The locusts then spread to Africa through Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea before crossing to Kenya in December.
Muo said the rainy season is favorable for breeding of the locusts and it will be difficult to completely eradicate the locusts also with the fact that neighboring countries like Somalia do not have effective ways to control the locusts.
Christian Koiman, a retired locust expert explained that a single female locust can lay 300 eggs.
After mating, the males die leaving the females to lay eggs. The eggs hatch in two-three weeks and the larva takes two-three weeks to become adults
According to him, adults are pink when not yet ready to lay eggs and take two weeks to mature then they turn yellow.
When the conditions are right he said the population can explode very fast.
Koiman said the locusts travel by wind and they can go at least 150-200 kms in a day.
The society recommended that the government work with Counties in the affected areas to identify potential breeding habitats and target them for management.
“Focus on the potential breeding habitats and kill the populations that emerge from those habitats. This will ensure we don't allow the eggs laid in the country to hatch and affect vegetation,” Muo said.
The government together with the Desert Locust Control Organisation of East Africa have been working together to provide aerial spray to control the locusts.
John Nderitu, an insect scientist from the University of Nairobi, Faculty of Agriculture encouraged the use of integrated pest management methods to limit the population.
“We recommend pulling together of different IPM methods to ensure we manage the insects including mechanical and chemical control as well as traditional methods such as harvesting the insects for food and scaring them away,” he said.
Nderitu assured Kenyans that the chemicals being used to spray the locust are safe for the environment and humans as they have been used for long.