Areas of Cyprus were covered by millions more desert locusts on Tuesday as the insects moved north of their African habitats in search of greener pastures. The locust invasion, which locals say is the first in living memory, first began on Sunday. A new and larger swarm arrived on the west coast of the island on Tuesday afternoon. "There are millions of them. It is like looking at a very, very dense net," said Andreas Kazantzis, a senior officer of the Agriculture Ministry in the region of Paphos. "They were brought here by the hot weather and winds," said Kazantzis. The worst desert infestation in a decade struck Western and Central Africa earlier this year. But the marauding insects caused less damage in Cyprus than initially feared. Some potato crops were destroyed in the Paphos area but banana and fruit plantations were relatively untouched. The first appearance of the locusts prompted a pesticide blitz on Monday with authorities issuing alerts to farmers to seal up greenhouses. The pesticides recommended had the lowest possible levels of toxicity permitted by the European Union and were biodegradable, authorities said. Environmentalists said care should be taken to ensure the pesticide use had no knock-on effects on wildlife.
