The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture is continuing its desert locust control activities with extended field exploration and control teams in several regions of Saudi Arabia with the aim of eliminating the pests and limiting their spread. The Ministry explained that 12,002 hectares were explored during the second half of last June, while 1,585 hectares were treated in each of Taif, Riyadh, Baha and Najran regions. The Ministry emphasized that the desert locust situation in these areas has improved and that exploration and control operations continue until total clearance is declared and the infection is completely over. The locust menace is due to the spread of the insects in neighboring countries and seasonal migration between breeding countries with the swarms passing through the Kingdom. In addition, the number of locusts grew due to wind factors and swarm densities in neighboring countries, as this allowed them to perch for several days, in addition to the lack of rainfall. — SPA
