"Caterpillar rain" is raging in Türkiye to the point where people cannot cope.
After the historic earthquake on February 6, Türkiye - the most affected country - is still suffering the consequences. Up to now, although 1 month has passed, 1.5 million Turkish people have lost their homes, about 50,000 people have died. In addition, a series of other pressing issues are taking place in parallel such as environmental pollution, disease outbreaks, post-earthquake reconstruction, migration, etc.
In recent days, Sirnak province - one of the localities in Turkey devastated by the earthquake - is suffering a new terrifying 'disaster', an unprecedented attack by caterpillars. Millions of caterpillars are crawling all over crops, even entering people's houses. The number of caterpillars is so large that people cannot destroy or control them by conventional methods.
Image of caterpillars attacking widely in Türkiye.
The 'caterpillar rain' has caused great inconvenience to daily life and farming, and is especially likely to affect crops. Local authorities have advised farmers to use pesticides to destroy them, but so far it has not worked.
Caterpillar attack is terrifying people in Sirnak province.
Caterpillars are pests of plants. They feed on pine, cypress, and fir needles. When they are widespread, they can cause serious damage to crops or forests. They also have a row of poisonous hairs on their thorax that can cause pain and itching when they come in contact with human skin, and in severe cases can be fatal.
It is not yet known whether the caterpillar attack was related to last month's earthquake, but it is likely the result of a natural disaster. Earthquakes can cause groundwater levels to drop, causing pine trees to dry out and die, depriving the caterpillars of their natural hunting opportunities, forcing them to head out into the woods to find food. Additionally, earthquakes can cause changes in the soil that allow caterpillar eggs and larvae to hatch and develop more easily.
After the devastating earthquake that claimed tens of thousands of lives, local residents are struggling to find food and shelter, and their lives have yet to stabilize. Some residents have begun cutting down trees in the forest to make a living, leading to deforestation and loss of wildlife habitat, as well as creating favorable conditions for caterpillar invasion.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake has plunged Türkiye and Syria into mourning.
