Authorities working to curb spread of grasshoppers in Tafileh

AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture is spraying agricultural lands in Tafileh Governorate, some 180km southwest of the capital, with pesticides to curb the spread of grasshoppers, a government official said on Sunday.

Although the presence of the insects across the country during this time of the year when temperatures start going up is normal, the ministry is monitoring the spread and numbers of grasshoppers to prevent crop damage, the spokesperson, Nimer Haddadin, said.

Spraying pesticides in Tafileh, especially in its Rahaba, Aymeh and Mansourah towns, started in late April and will continue until the end of this month, Haddadin noted.

"More than 200 dunum of agricultural land in Tafileh has been sprayed with pesticides so far," he told The Jordan Times.

Underscoring that the presence of grasshoppers this year is less than the population spotted in previous years, Haddadin noted that the ministry seeks to eliminate the insect in agricultural areas to prevent crop damages.

"Grasshoppers' impact on crops is far less than the impact of locust, however, grasshoppers do feed on crops and the edges of the leaves, thus causing damages," he highlighted.

Although grasshoppers are similar to locusts in shape, their behaviour is different, according to the ministry, which indicated that grasshoppers don’t usually form large groups and migrate in swarms. 

They also don’t travel vast distances, but remain around their mating locations, which are usually valleys, sand landscapes, side roads, parks and pastures, according to the ministry.

In addition, grasshoppers are an indigenous species in Jordan and not invasive like locusts. 

The life cycle of the insect starts in spring when temperatures rise. The female hatches eggs in the soil in grassy areas of uncultivated land. The hatching time is influenced by temperature and earlier hatching occurs in a warm spring, according to the ministry.