Swarms of locusts invade Canaries

It is thought to be the Canaries' worst invasion for 50 years

An estimated 100 million locusts have forced tourists and locals to abandon beaches in the Canary Islands.

The insects have swarmed into the island of Fuerteventura after devastating crops across regions of Africa and the Mediterranean.

The ground in the Canaries, one of Europe's most popular winter sun destinations, was blanketed in the pink, 7cm (3in)-long creatures.

But experts said their poor condition suggested they would die within days.

The invasion is believed to be the worst faced by the islands since the 1950s, and prompted the authorities to order a state of alert.

Spared disaster

BBC NEWS: VIDEO AND AUDIO The locusts have flown across the sea to the Canaries

One of the islands, Lanzarote, was fumigated with 1,500 litres of insecticide over the weekend.

But there were no plans to spray Fuerteventura, as the insects were said to be at the end of their life cycle.

Antonio Ortega, director general of the regional agriculture department, said heavy rains and high winds had forced millions back over the Atlantic Ocean.

"They die in the ocean... and the rain slows their flight as it soaks their wings," he said.

The creatures are at the end of their life cycle

Agriculture Minister Pedro Rodriguez Zaragoza said: "They only have about of week of life left.

"Some have no wings and their legs are broken."

He said the creatures were hardly eating any crops, so the islands would be spared the disaster that had hit parts of Africa.

Their voracious appetite laid waste to parts of the continent. Officials say that in Mauritania, locusts ruined more than one million hectares (2.5 million acres) of crops.

The Canary Islands lie only about 100 km (60 miles) from the coast of Africa.

Locusts can travel twice that far in a day in search of food.