--- description: Farmers in Argentina are working to control the worst plague of locusts in more than 50 years, officials said Monday, according to reports title: Massive Locust Plague Threatens Argentina's Farmers image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57cb2d13ce7fda62/69887aa7a988ca905b6b649d/locusts1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Argentina](/tag/argentina/) ## Argentina Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Massive Locust Plague Threatens Argentina's Farmers  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 26, 2016 7:57 PM CUT  locust on the move locust on the moveGetty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 26, 2016 7:57 PM CUT Farmers in Argentina are working to control the [worst plague of locusts](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/americas/argentina-scrambles-to-fight-biggest-plague-of-locusts-in-60-years.html "undefined") in more than 50 years, officials said on Monday. The New York _Times_ reports that the insect swarm could soon destroy crops, a reality that has prompted officials to ramp up extermination efforts in the country’s forests. Locusts, which are related to grasshoppers, can [cause starvation and famine when their swarms attack crops.](http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/locust/ "undefined") “It’s the worst explosion in the last 60 years,” Diego Quiroga, chief of vegetative protection for the government’s agriculture inspection agency, said in an [interview with the _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/americas/argentina-scrambles-to-fight-biggest-plague-of-locusts-in-60-years.html "undefined"). “It’s impossible to eradicate; the plague has already established itself. We’re just acting to make sure it’s the smallest it can be and does the least damage possible.” The locusts first appeared in small areas last June and have now spread, aided by a mild winter, making it more difficult for officials to control their impact, according to the paper. Farmers last year reported locust clouds over four miles long and nearly two miles high. \[[New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/americas/argentina-scrambles-to-fight-biggest-plague-of-locusts-in-60-years.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4194472/argentina-locust-plague-swarms/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4194472/argentina-locust-plague-swarms/"},"headline":"Massive Locust Plague Threatens Argentina's Farmers","datePublished":"2016-01-26T19:57:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:27:35.971Z","description":"“It’s the worst explosion in the last 60 years\"","url":"https://time.com/4194472/argentina-locust-plague-swarms/","keywords":["Argentina"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57cb2d13ce7fda62/69887aa7a988ca905b6b649d/locusts1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt57cb2d13ce7fda62/69887aa7a988ca905b6b649d/locusts1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"114413730","caption":"","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/argentina/","name":"Argentina"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4194472/argentina-locust-plague-swarms/","name":"Massive Locust Plague Threatens Argentina's Farmers"}}]}] ```