Desert Drivers Meet a Swarm Surprise

A quiet road in the Western Sahara turned into an unexpected battlefield when a gigantic group of locusts appeared out of nowhere. Drivers had to weave around the insects, which looked like a living cloud that blocked the highway and rattled cars. Locusts are notorious for destroying crops, and scientists warn that a single square kilometre of these insects can eat as much food in one day as 35, 000 people. That means if they keep multiplying, farms and livestock could suffer huge losses. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization released updates early this year, noting that the desert locust outbreak is linked to extreme weather and climate changes. As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, these bugs find more food and grow faster than ever before.Officials in the Spanish islands of Lanzarote and Tenerife say that, for now, the locusts are not a direct danger to people. However, they stress that the insects could cause serious damage to agriculture if their numbers keep increasing. The swarm’s rapid reproduction cycle is a major concern: female locusts can lay eggs quickly, creating new generations that can reach the same destructive scale in a short time. Farmers and governments are watching closely, hoping that measures can be taken to protect crops before the insects move inland.