Skip to main content

Fueled by High Temperatures and Ample Land, Locusts Swarm Italy

Support Provided By


This story was originally published June 26, 2020 by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Swarms of locusts have stripped thousands of hectares of pasture and cropland in Sardinia, devastating farmers already struggling from the coronavirus pandemic, farming groups said.

Their numbers fueled by rising temperatures, the pests have damaged nearly 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of grazing land in the central province of Nuoro, said Michele Arbau, of the Sardinia branch of Italian agricultural association Coldiretti.

Farmer Giovanni Mureddu poses in front of the locusts that destroyed his crops in the town of Bolotana in central Sardinia, Italy, in June. | Photo provided by Coldiretti Sardinia
Farmer Giovanni Mureddu poses in front of the locusts that destroyed his crops in the town of Bolotana in central Sardinia, Italy, in June. | Photo provided by Coldiretti Sardinia

"Farmers have lost the summer pasture and partly the fodder for autumn and winter … and the very few people who grew barley had to give that up too," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

During the summer months, locusts are a common phenomenon on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia — known for its idyllic beaches and exclusive resorts — but this year's outbreak has been much larger than normal.

Last year, the pests destroyed about 2,500 hectares in what was then described as the worst outbreak since the end of World War Two.

More extreme weather driven by climate change can affect the development and spread of insect infestations, including locusts, according to Ignazio Floris, a professor of entomology at the University of Sassari in northwest Sardinia.

Rising temperatures can cause longer dry periods, leading soils to become arid and unplanted, which creates ideal conditions for insects that like laying their eggs in dry, untilled soil, he said.

More frequent extreme weather swings — including drought in 2017, too much rain in 2018 and both extremes last year in Sardinia — also seem to be spurring bigger locust invasions, said Coldiretti's Arbau.

More idle farmland on the island also is a factor, with more farmers leaving land unplanted because they can no longer sell their harvest at a profit, Arbau said.

The locust invasion adds to Italy's woes.

FILE PHOTO: Desert locusts are seen on a tree at a ranch near the town of Nanyuki in Laikipia county, Kenya, February 21, 2020. Picture taken February 21, 2020. | REUTERS/Baz Ratner
FILE PHOTO: Desert locusts are seen on a tree at a ranch near the town of Nanyuki in Laikipia county, Kenya, February 21, 2020. Picture taken February 21, 2020. | REUTERS/Baz Ratner, by vgoch

The country was the first in Europe to be badly hit by the coronavirus and it is still recovering from the pandemic, which has killed more than 34,000 people — the fourth highest death rate in the world — and infected nearly 240,000.

During a nationwide lockdown in March and April, Italian farmers also had to grapple with a shortage of farm workers and a cold snap that destroyed vast swathes of fruit.

The latest threat comes from Moroccan locusts, a species native to southern Europe, including Sardinia. The pests are different from the desert locusts wreaking havoc in East Africa.

Key to limiting their destruction is early monitoring, with eggs laid in the soil "easily eliminated by surface tillage where possible", said entomologist Floris.

Once the insects reached adult stage, however — as at present — there is very little that can be done to control them, said Alexandre Latchininsky, a locust expert with the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

But farmers can prepare for next year by applying an ecologically-safe, fungus-based pesticide, he said.

"I suggest farmers' organizations consider this biocontrol option for next year, when they will undoubtedly face the Moroccan locust problem again," he said.

Reporting By Thin Lei Win @thinink, Editing by Laurie Goering.

Support Provided By
Read More
A worker makes checks at the Miditech Gloves' rubber glove factory in Malaysia in 2020. | Miditech Gloves via Thomson Reuters Foundation

COVID-19 Prompts Pivot to Green Alternative to Rubber Gloves

Malaysian firm Meditech Gloves will begin production of natural gloves that can biodegrade 100 times faster than synthetic, petroleum-based options.
Migrant workers from Myanmar who lost their jobs line up for free foods from volunteers following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bangkok, Thailand April 23, 2020. | REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

Thailand Allows Thousands of Migrants to Extend Work Permits

Activists fear the cost of the process could drive migrant workers deeper into debt and lead to labour exploitation.
Educator Taneka Mckoy Phipps teaches a lesson with a blackboard painted on a wall, in a low-income neighborhood, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Kingston, Jamaica October 27, 2020. October 27, 2020. | REUTERS/Gladstone Taylor

Jamaican Teacher Turns Kingston Walls into Blackboards

With schools closed under COVID-19, Taneka Mckoy has created open-air classrooms by writing lessons on building walls.