In a desperate attempt to get rid of locusts, farmers in India appear to be getting creative, devising a two-pronged method involving a drum beat to possibly scare them off and a small fan to repel them with wind.
Rahul Shrivastav, an Indian police official, has shared a video of the innovative hack on Twitter. The 15-second viral video clip showed a plastic bottle erected on a pole, which had a fan on one end and a drum on the other. The instrument works on its own thanks to the wind.
While the effectiveness of the innovative equipment in warding off the “evil attackers” is still to be gauged, the farmers' creativity is tickling the funny bones of social media users.
Several such videos have emerged on social media depicting farmers attempting to scare off the insects by using musical instruments, sirens, and even smoke since the insect is believed to be afraid of noise.
The locusts entered India from Pakistan, first ravaging fields in Rajasthan and thereby proceeding to Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The locust invasion also reached southern India on Thursday, entering Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, the crop-eaters munched on bananas, rubber, and other crops in some districts. The country is using drones to spray pesticides while taking other preventive measures.