Lady bird infestation of maize farms in Ruiru has left farmers worried. [Photo/globalfarmernetwork.org]Ladybird pest has wreaked havoc in Ruiru maize farms in Kiambu county threatening the crop harvest this season. Farmers say despite spraying the crops with pesticides, the vicious pest is wiping out their plantations and if serious measures are not quickly taken to combat it, the area may suffer hunger in months to come.The new pest in comes at a time when Fall Armyworms continue to devastate maize crop in many farms across the country, with the Ministry of Agriculture saying that an effective monitoring system in areas which have not reported armyworm will be laid out to help in early detection and rapid containment of the pest.According to James Mburu, a farmer in Ruiru, the pest invaded their farms in New Year, eating maize leaves, which have already withered as a result of dry weather.“Efforts to use natural methods like spraying ash and cow dung on our farms have also not borne fruit,” Mburu said on Tuesday.Mburu said tens of acreage in Ruiru sub-county have been affected and he fears the pest could spread to other areas. “If the situation continues, we are worried since we will not have any harvests and this will lead to the region facing high maize prices or even starvation,” he added.Another farmer, Ephantus Mburu, a large-scale farmer, said his only source of income has almost been shattered by the pest.“I have invested a lot in this farm but the future of my crop is bleak. We are short of information on how to deal with the troubling pest,” he said.The farmers are now calling on the government and other relevant authorities to investigate the attack and come up with the necessary measures before the ladybird spreads to other farms.
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