Mexico: Edomex on alert for Central American locust plague

The government of the State of Mexico issues an alert for the presence of the Central American locust in the entity for the first time, which represents a risk for crops of corn, beans, wheat, oats, sorghum and other cereals, as well as fruits. “The specimens of this grasshopper-like insect were detected on January 18 in the Ejido Chalma, municipality of Malinalco, a town with a warm and conducive climate for the insects to expand when the vegetation grows and the temperature increases,” details in a statement. the Directorate of Health, Safety and Agri-Food Quality of the Rural Secretariat of the State of Mexico. This specimen, whose scientific name is schistocerca p. piceifrons, is a species that can be highly harmful to agricultural fields. They can measure more than eight centimeters, have wings longer than their abdomen, black spots and a white stripe along their body. They breed twice a year and can travel alone or in groups. Their danger is that they are capable of eating ...