Additional bands of locusts entered Israel throughout the day on Tuesday,
marking a week since the first wave of bugs flew across the Sinai border and
landed here.
Two swarms swooped in on Tuesday afternoon in the Revivim
and Kama areas, following another fresh pack that entered through Kadesh Barnea
a few hours before, the Agriculture Ministry reported.
These arrivals
were just several hours after ministry workers had finished spraying swarms that
had entered the country yesterday in the Ramat Hanegev and Eshkol regions, the
office said.
No preventative pesticide can be used in advance of a
locust’s arrival, and effective spraying can only occur once the insects are
settled on the ground for the night or in the early morning before they fly off,
the ministry explained.
While individual locusts have made appearances
all over the country, the aerial and ground spraying has largely worked thus far
in eradicating the swarms, the office stressed. Individual locusts are not
harmful to humans, and they only pose a threat to agricultural plots in large
swarms.
The chemicals being used to combat the locusts are of a “soft
pesticide” type and have no effects on other animals, preying upon the locusts
only and leaving no residue – as the pesticide breaks down quickly, according to
the ministry. Due to this spraying, there has not yet been any significant harm
to crops, but if agricultural damage was to occur, the farmers are protected by
risk insurance.
The Agriculture Ministry said it would continue to work
around the clock to monitor the situation in Egypt as well as the wind
direction, the office said.