General Situation during May 2017
Forecast until mid-July 2017
The Desert Locust situation continued to remain calm during May. Preventive control measures were undertaken in Morocco and Algeria against a few small hopper groups. Unusual rains fell along both sides of the Red Sea, good rains fell in the Horn of Africa and the interior of Yemen, and early pre-season rains occurred in some of the summer breeding areas in the Sahel of West Africa and along the Indo-Pakistan border. During the forecast period, summer breeding will commence on a small scale in the northern Sahel between Mauritania and western Eritrea and along the Indo-Pakistan border. Breeding may also occur in the interior of Yemen and there is a potential and unusual risk of limited breeding on the Red Sea coast in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Eritrea.
Western Region. The situation remained calm in the region during May. Small hopper groups were treated in the spring breeding areas south of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco (443 ha) and Algeria (267 ha) as part of preventive control. Early rains fell in parts of northern Mali and Niger. During the forecast period, seasonal rains are expected to commence in the summer breeding areas of southern Mauritania, northern Mali and Niger and central Chad. Consequently, initially low numbers of locusts are likely to breed on a small-scale in those areas that receive rainfall. Regular surveys should commence and continue throughout the summer.
Central Region. The locust situation remained calm as no locusts were reported in the region during May. Good rains fell in the spring and summer breeding areas in the interior of Yemen and early rains fell in parts of the summer breeding areas in North Kordofan and in the east of Sudan. Small-scale breeding is likely to occur in both countries during the forecast period, causing locust numbers to increase slightly. Good rains also fell on the plateau in northern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia where there is a low risk of scattered adults and limited breeding. Unusually good rains fell in some Red Sea coastal areas during May at a time when rain normally does not occur. The rains may be particularly important in Saudi Arabia (Qunfi dah– Jizan), Yemen and Eritrea where follow up surveys should be conducted to monitor the situation.
Eastern Region. Isolated adults persisted during May in southeast Iran where small-scale breeding was in progress in one area of the interior. Pre-monsoon rains fell along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border where small-scale breeding is likely to commence in July with the onset of the monsoon rains, causing aslight increase in locust numbers.