Kill, confuse, eat: how to stop locusts

Scientists in Nairobi are experimenting with new ways to tackle a second wave of locusts that threatens to devour East Africa's crops. At the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, the cafe serves locust kebabs; chefs are working on turning the insects into appetizing dishes, or into animal feed. Isolates from fungi and microbes that target locusts offer alternatives to widespread pesticide use. And introducing the smell of an adult locust among young insects can help to destroy swarms. “They get disoriented, the group breaks into pieces, they cannibalize each other," says chemical ecologist Baldwyn Torto.

Thomson Reuters Foundation News | 3 min read
Read more: Why gigantic locust swarms are challenging governments and researchers (Nature | 4 min read, from March)