Locusts move into the interior of Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Ethiopia
In Saudi Arabia, a few Desert Locust swarms have moved from the Red Sea coast to the spring breeding areas in the central interior where they are laying eggs. The eggs should hatch during the first week of May and hopper bands are expected to form. Unless controlled, the bands will fledge in early June and swarms could form by mid-month. The new swarms are likely to move across the Red Sea to the summer breeding areas in the interior of Sudan. Control operations are in progress.
In Sudan, adults have appeared in the Nile Valley between Dongola and Atbara, and adults are reported in southern Egypt. These populations are likely to have come from the infestations along the Red Sea coast in Sudan and Saudi Arabia. There is a risk that a few swarms could also appear along the Nile where they may stay or continue to move towards the west.
In Yemen, no further swarms have been reported since 13 April but hatching and band formation are expected to occur shortly near Thamud. Low numbers of adults are present and laying eggs in the interior near Ataq.
A few more swarms were seen this week on both sides of the border in Ethiopia and northern Somalia between Dire Dawa and Hargeisa, and some of them were laying eggs. The swarms originated from breeding in northwest Somalia earlier this year. Control operations were undertaken in Ethiopia.
In southeast Iran and western Pakistan, small-scale breeding is in progress in the spring breeding areas in the interior and on the coast where low numbers of solitarious hoppers and adults are present.