Expert’s view

Expert’s view

29/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,BENGALURU

Entomologists feel that effective measures initiated by Maharashtra to control loctus swarms have reduced the threat level for Karnataka.

A.R.V. Kumar, retired entomologist from the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru who attended a meeting convened by Karnataka government on Thursday, told The Hindu that Maharashtra was more effective in tackling desert locust swarms than other States. “This is basically owing to the effective insecticides used by them well in time,” he said.

According to him, such a measure has reduced the population size of desert locust swarms. Apart from wind direction that is expected to change the course towards the northeast, making these swarms to fly back, Karnataka has another advantage. “The desert locust live for a maximum of two-and-a-half months to five months. The present swarms have already completed three-and-a-half months of their life cycle. Hence their knockdown effect will reduce,” Dr. Kumar said.