In 2025, due to abnormal weather and climatic conditions, in particular drought and insufficient rainfall, there is a massive revival and spread of representatives of the locust family.
Locusts feed on all plants and can rapidly destroy crops, causing significant damage to plants on unplowed land, pastures, roadsides, and forest belts.
Flocks of migratory locusts pose a particular danger to plants. Adult pests fly in groups over distances of up to several tens of kilometers, and during strong winds, flocks of migratory locusts can be carried over distances of more than 200 km per day.
According to information from the Main Directorate of the State Food and Consumer Service in Donetsk Oblast, there is a threat of locusts from other regions of the country entering the territory of the oblast.
In accordance with Article 18 of the Law of Ukraine “On Plant Protection,” enterprises, institutions, organizations of all forms of ownership, and citizens are obliged in the field of plant protection to: conduct systematic surveys of land, crops, plantings, plant products, storage facilities, etc., and, in the event of the spread of harmful organisms, inform the specially authorized executive authorities in the field of plant protection.
In order to prevent the spread of locust pests and given their high danger, if locusts are suspected, it is necessary to inform the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Donetsk Oblast by calling the hotline: +38(099)1516406.