Lean Environmental Solutions

Guide · Kyrgyzstan

Crop pests and diseases

Pests and plant diseases cut yield and quality every year, and in the south of Kyrgyzstan locusts eat grain, fodder and pasture each spring.

Who and when

Locusts on grain, fodder and pasture in the south (Jalal-Abad first), later Naryn. April to June. 56,000 ha sprayed by the end of June 2026. Spraying in May–June has killed bees.

Getting worse or not: locusts high every year since about 2024.

Right now

Right now (autumn 2026)

  • FAO gave a biological locust spray (Metarhizium acridum) for the 2026 campaign.
Before

Before: get ready

Crops and trees

  1. Learn integrated pest management: watch, count, and spray only when pests reach a set level (Tajik wheat trials: yields 30–69% higher). When: winter.
  2. Apples: hang codling moth traps in February–March. Mating disruption dispensers go up at the first male moth caught (Turkish trial; general practice, check locally).
  3. Vines: a wet late spring leaves untreated vines open to mildew. Plan protection with a local agronomist before May.
  4. Hail nets also keep some insects out, but cost a lot (see the hail guide).

Bees

  • Beekeepers: get on any spray-warning list, and know where spraying is planned. When: before April.

Money: the state plant protection service sprays locusts. There is no crop insurance.

During

During: when it hits

  1. Report the outbreak to the plant protection service.
  2. Before anyone sprays, warn beekeepers. Don't spray crops in flower or near hives.
  3. Beekeepers: for strong, long-lasting sprays on crops in flower, move hives at least 6.5 km, early in the morning when it is cool. Wet sacking over hives is a last resort (general practice, check locally).
After

After: recover

First days

  • Take photos with date, time and place of the damage. Note which fields or trees, and how much.

First weeks

  • Keep checking traps. Write down trap counts and losses for next year's plan.

Money and help

  • No compensation for pest losses was found.
Build back better

Build back better

  1. Use traps and keep counts every year.
  2. Train in integrated pest management, and spray only when counts say so.
  3. Keep dated photos and records of diseased trees, so causes can be found.

What the farm check looks for

Grain, fodder or pasture in the south, bees near sprayed fields, and apples without traps.

Get a free farm check

Sources