Locust swarms destroy crops in Sardinia’s latest infestation

Locusts have destroyed crops across 25,000 hectares of land in Nuoro, the worst-affected area. Photograph: Nature Picture Library/Alamy

Huge swarms of locusts are wreaking havoc on the Italian island of Sardinia, arriving a month earlier than in previous years.

The worst-affected area is the province of Nuoro, where the winged insects have decimated crops across 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of land, following swarms in 2019 said to be the worst in decades and further infestations in 2020 and 2021.