Locusts in India: Are locusts harmful to humans? Do they bite?

At present five Indian states - Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh - are facing locust attacks in swarms that are moving at the speed of 150 km per day. Active locust swarms have been sighted in major cities of the country such as Jaipur, Amravati, Nagpur, Jodhpur, Malwa, etc. The country is already facing the perils with the COVID-19 pandemic as well as dealing with the after-effects of cyclone Amphan. Appearance of locust swarms has left people questioning ‘Are locusts harmful to humans?’

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Do locusts bite?

Twitter is teeming with videos of locust attacks spreading across the skyline of some Indian states. But there is no evidence to suggest that locust swarm hurt people and animals or carry any diseases that could harm humans. Locust swarms do not sting people like mosquitoes do as they will only eat plants. Locusts do not bite people or animals but can pinch to defend themselves.

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How are locust swarms dangerous?

There have been no reports of locust swarms harming humans directly. However, they can harm humans indirectly as are capable of destroying the agricultural economy of a country. This is especially dangerous for a country like India wherein a huge part of our population depends on agriculture as a means of livelihood.

Locusts are solitary beings but when their numbers increase they get more and more restless. Reports show in order to adapt to this new social life, they transform their bodies, inside and out. Studies have shown that when in the gregarious phase can change their colour from a dull tan to a striking yellow and black. Experts say that this is perhaps meant to be a signal to their predators that they’re toxic. 

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How can they harm?

With this gregarious movement, they feed on crops that are meant for people and livestock. They feed on a large variety of crops. If not dealt with efficiently early on, locust swarms are capable of threatening the food security of a country. Some scientific portals claim that a large swarm is capable of eating food meant for 2500 people on a day. 

With monsoon season around the corner, more danger looms. Reports say that heavy rains will provide locust swarms with opportunities to breed and fill the soil with their eggs. When these eggs hatch, the strength of the swarms grows exponentially. An adult female locust lays 80-90 eggs thrice in her three-month life cycle. While it has not been reported that locusts are carriers of any diseases that harm humans, large locust swarms often create allergens that aggravate allergies.

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How is India dealing with locust attack?

With swarms of locusts spreading from state to another and to major cities, state govt of Odisha on May 27, 2020 issued guidelines for farmers and asking them to take preventive steps suggested in this regard. Currently, 18 districts of Rajasthan, close to a dozen districts of Madhya Pradesh and 17 districts in UP including Mathura and Aligarh are reportedly on high alert. In Maharashtra, the state agriculture department issued a ‘locust warning alert’ for all districts in Vidarbha and four districts in north Maharashtra. The Locusts Warning Organisation (LOW), under the Ministry of Agriculture, has reportedly set up a team of 50 people for monitoring and tracking the locust swarms.‘Malathion 96’, which is an organophosphate insecticide is being sprayed aerially via drones. As reported by a news portal, Agriculture Minister of Rajasthan Lal Chand Kataria has informed that spraying the powerful malathion insecticide has helped in killing a large swarm of locusts on pasture land.

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