This year's mass locust reproduction may be a result of the restoration of natural conditions that existed until the late 19th century, when such a phenomenon was common in Ukraine. The destruction of the Kakhovka HPP and the decline of agriculture due to the war created a favorable environment for swarms. This was stated by Yuriy Protsenko, assistant professor at the Department of Ecology and Zoology of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Candidate of Biological Sciences, to UNN.
According to the expert, this year's mass locust invasion is not an accident, but a result of several interconnected factors. Until the late 19th century, similar invasions in the Ukrainian steppes were common – they recurred every few years according to the natural cycles of insects.
The situation changed when the Kakhovka Reservoir appeared, and the steppe lands began to be actively used for agriculture. This significantly changed the vegetation and destroyed the conditions in which locusts could massively reproduce. But the war turned everything back.
The destruction of the Kakhovka HPP and the reduction in the use of agricultural lands due to the full-scale invasion led to the restoration of favorable conditions for locust development. In combination with the natural cycles of insects, this resulted in this year's mass locust reproduction.
Although locusts do not directly pose a threat to humans, they destroy green spaces and can damage crops of grains, vegetables, and fruit trees.
One of the most severely affected areas this year was the former bottom of the Kakhovka Reservoir, which completely dried up after the dam was blown up in 2023.
Swarms were also recorded in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Vinnytsia regions. In Zaporizhzhia, radical measures had to be taken – insecticides were applied to an area of over 6,000 hectares.
Recall
An invasion of migratory and Egyptian locusts is being recorded in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. In some regions, a special plant protection regime has already been introduced, and territories are being treated with insecticides.
An insect invasion was also noticed in Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions.
Earlier, UNN learned that ecologists link the mass invasion of migratory and Egyptian locusts in southern Ukraine to climate change and favorable conditions for insect reproduction. However, they emphasize that the main danger to people lies in the uncontrolled use of chemicals, not in the locusts themselves.