According to reports, millions of locusts have hit farmlands in southern Russia, consuming fields of crops. As a result of this, officials have declared a state of emergency in the area. Reports say at present, a huge area of at least 800 hectares is attacked as millions of insects are destroying fields of corn and other crops. Each insect measures nearly 8 centimeters long.

According to officials, more than 10% of crops have already been annihilated, and the feeding by locusts is also a danger for the livelihoods of farmers in the area. Pyotr Stepanchenka, a farmer looked quite upset because of the problem. He said that nothing is left of the corn as locusts consumed it all, right from the leaves to the cobs.

A state of emergency has been declared by officials from the Russian ministry of agriculture, however they are finding it difficult to deal with the problem of destruction by the insects. According to them, they are making efforts to harvest through increased crop-spraying flights. However, they said that high summer temperatures are leading to decreased efficiency of the powerful pesticides used by them.

According to Tatiana Drishcheva of the Russia Argricultural Center, a government organization, "In Kalmikya, Astrakhan, Volgagrad, and Dagestan, there is already no food left for the locusts, so they have moved on to other sources of food. They have wingspans of nearly 12 centimeters, like small sparrows”.