Author: Sat, 2020-01-04 00:33 RIYADH: The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture confirmed that its field exploration and control teams surveyed 171,770 hectares during the second half of December, and successfully wiped out red locusts from 17,296 hectares in various regions of Makkah, Al-Baha, Asir, Jazan, Riyadh, Qassim and Hail. The ministry explained that the locust situation had evolved into a serious threat along the south-west coast between Makkah and Jazan, as numbers continued to multiply. The locusts will threaten all areas of the Kingdom entering the winter and spring breeding seasons, with further swarms expected to continue to migrate to the country from Sudan and Yemen. Saudi teams have been able to observe and monitor the swarms in the central regions of the Kingdom. The ministry noted that the general situation required monitoring and intensive exploration and control throughout key winter reproduction areas. It also called on all beekeepers and ranchers to cooperate with teams working to combat desert locusts by immediately leaving when required, and urged citizens to report to authorities immediately when observing swarms to help eliminate the infection in a timely manner.Main category: Saudi ArabiaTags: Saudi ArabiaSaudi agriculture UN warns of locust surge on both sides of Red Sea