Locusts swarm over Kenya

These locusts are flying across Kenya in large swarms. They're eating the crops on the farms. They have already destroyed crops in Somalia and Ethiopia.

Locusts are in the grasshopper family. They group together in swarms of up to 80 million insects, which can travel 130 km a day.

Locusts damage crops and cause food shortages. This results in severe hunger and people could starve. 'Food security' has become a serious issue in the region.

The Food and Agricultural Organisation say this year's locust invasions are "the worst in 25 years" in the Horn of Africa.

Police have been ordered to shoot into the air and attack the insects with teargas. The Kenyan Government is using planes to spray the locusts with pesticides.

70,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia and Somalia are thought to have already been attacked by locusts. Locust numbers are feared to be rising in other countries, including Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

View Less