Thick swarms of locust hoppers have hatched in the Moruga and Cedros forests, gnawing away trees and shrubs.
In the Southeastern region, the hoppers have been wreaking havoc in the community of Cachipe Village, Moruga for the past fortnight.
Resident Janice Auguste said over the past few days, they have started entering residents’ homes. Because of this they could no longer lime outside or enjoy the comfort of their homes, Janice said.
Pointing to her window, Janice showed how she used masking tape to board up creases and cracks.
“They are coming through every space. We cannot even open the window or the door,” she fumed.
When the insects die, they leave a nauseating stench.
“We are tired of this stink. It is overbearing,” she said.
Her brother Kiel Auguste said every day he uses insecticide to spray the insects.
“When I come home from work, I have to clean up the yard. It is frustrating. Every day I pick up buckets of dead locusts. There are millions of them,” he added.
Kiel said he contacted the Ministry of Agriculture but was told that they could not spray inside residents’ properties.
“Because we have pets they said they cannot spray here so we have to do our own spraying,” he said.
Kiel explained that the locust invasion occurs several times for the year but gets worse each time.
When Guardian Media visited Cachipe, the hoppers were seen on top of furniture and on cars. They landed on the hair and face leaving the skin itchy.
Nekeisha Gonzales who has a one-year-old son called on the Ministry of Agriculture to come into the area to spray.
She said it was frustrating being inside all the time.
“My son cannot even play in the yard. They landing on everything,” she added.
CEPEP workers were seen in the area but they eventually left because of the insects.
Contacted for comment an official from the Ministry of Agriculture Locust Control team said they were aware of the problem. He said the hoppers were less than one centimetre in length and had been hatching in waves.
“At this stage, the hoppers have no wings so it is easier to get rid of them now rather than later when they start to fly. As fast as they hatching we are killing them,” the official said.
He explained that apart from Moruga, the hoppers had hatched in the forests of the southwestern peninsula and have also been spotted in Point Coco and Granville.