Apocalyptic scenes after swarm of locusts fill up sky

People took cover in their cars as a huge swarm of locusts darkened the sky in Russia.

The arrival of millions of locusts turned a peaceful Sunday into an apocalyptic scene in the southwestern corner of the country.

The grasshoppers swept across a field in the Kizlyar district of Dagestan on Sunday, with the sky almost blocked out as they flew over.

Locals were left fearing they might be heading towards nearby towns in the North Caucasus region.

One local filming the swarm says: ‘Where are they heading? What on earth is this? Thank goodness they’re not heading towards the town!

‘They are going to eat us alive!’

Despite being a frightening sight, the locusts are not directly harmful to humans, although they can inflict devastation on vital crops, making them one of the world’s most harmful agricultural pests.

Dagestan’s ministry of agriculture and food said today that it has taken active pest control measures.

Several large swarms had already been dealt with, it said.

It said: ‘The situation is complicated by the fact that migratory locust swarms travel from nature conservation areas and reserves, where chemical treatment is strictly prohibited by law.

‘However, as soon as the pests move into areas where treatment is permitted, all available equipment is deployed.’

Locusts and grasshoppers pose a serious threat to food security and livelihoods in the Caucasus and Central Asia as they can destroy crops that end up on their way.

The animals can travel up to 93 miles per day.

The biblical locust swarms have led to the use of drones in the fight against the pests.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan recently cooperated on the use of unmanned aerial systems for locust management, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said.

Up to 20 million people and 25 million hectares of cultivated land are at risk from locusts in the region, the UN said.

Three species plague the Caucasus, Russian Federation and Central Asia – Italian (Calliptamus italicus), Moroccan (Dociostaurus maroccanus) and Asian Migratory (Locusta migratoria) Locusts.

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