In a matter of minutes, the images of locusts flying over the sky of Mérida and landing on houses in the Francisco de Montejo subdivision on Wednesday, January 15, and Thursday, January 16, became news.
Users shared photos of their roofs or water tanks covered by these insects on social networks, calling it a rarely seen phenomenon.
The truth is that seeing locusts in the entity is not unusual, since Yucatán is the largest reproduction area of this insect in Mexico and Central America, said Mario Antonio Poot Pech, coordinator of the Locust Program of the Yucatán Plant Health Committee (Cesvy ).
“In the state, we have around 420,000 hectares of ideal areas for locusts, that does not mean that there are in all that area, but they are ideal areas, they are pastures,” said the researcher.
There are two identified zones: the Oriente, which includes Tizimín, Sucilá, Buctzotz, Río Lagartos, San Felipe, Tunkás, Cenotillo, and Panabá; and Poniente, which covers Maxcanú, Halachó and Opichén, municipalities adjacent to Campeche.
The interviewee stressed that locusts are so common in the state that just last year 3,100 hectares were controlled with the insect.
“We did this preventively, and we only had the formation of 22 groups in the municipalities above.”
This year, the coordinator of the program continued, in conjunction with the National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica), the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader), and the Secretariat of Rural Development of Yucatán (Seder), it is already They have controlled around 30 mangas in an area of 150 hectares, mainly in the East.
One of the factors that contributed to the formation of the locust swarms that were seen in the entity these days was that in 2024 it rained more than in previous years, says Mario Antonio Poot Pech, coordinator of the Lobster Program of the Plant Health Committee. from Yucatan (Cesvy).
“In Yucatán, it usually rains 900 to 1,200 mm a year, but last year it rained 2,500 mm more or less. This made the soils moist, making it ideal for locusts.”
The expert explained that locusts lay their eggs in the soil, and if the soil has sufficient moisture it is more conducive to the outbreak.
He also said that the sleeves have been controlled and that the one seen in Mérida is the one that managed to escape control. “We could say that it is the tail of what we missed,” he noted.
In addition, he explained that the swarm that was seen in subdivisions in the northwest had been monitored since last Sunday when it was located in the mountains of Conkal and north of Mérida.
For control, the team of experts applies insecticides and biological agents (the latter are mainly used in areas where there are apiaries so as not to harm the bees) and it is done at dawn, when due to the humid environment, the locusts cannot fly because they have wings wet.
The application is done by land with motorized pumps, but last year, in October, November, and December they used a helicopter.
TYT Newsroom
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