Guest guest Posted June 19, 2001 Report Share Posted June 19, 2001 Locust army marches on its stomach FROM GILES WHITTELL IN MOSCOW AND OLIVER AUGUST IN BEIJING PLAGUES of locusts are devastating crops from Central Asia to the American Midwest, sending farmers to the book of Exodus for salvation. Not since the Egyptians incurred the wrath of God have so many locusts had their day. A billion-strong army is on the move, stretching far beyond the more normal swarming grounds of Africa and the Middle East and threatening central Eurasia s arable land in a pincer movement from each end of the Caspian Sea. In China, hundreds of thousands of ducks are being flown to the northwest where locusts are taking over vast dried-out grasslands in the worst affected areas of Xinjiang province up to 10,000 inhabit one square metre. The ducks are trained by government handlers to feed on the locusts they can reportedly eat a pound of them a day and are then flown to the afflicted region. The Government says it is more environmentally friendly than using planes to spray pesticides. Southern Russia s worst plague of locusts in 40 years is meanwhile advancing north by several miles a day and will start spreading ten times faster if not contained within a week, officials have said. Yesterday the swarm was confined to a 170,000-acre swath of farmland in Dagestan near the Caspian Sea an area about twice the size of the Isle of Wight but it had destroyed 30,000 acres of wheat and was eating everything in its path, making the situation critical, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry in Moscow. The insects have hopped and walked inland from the Kuma River estuary like grasshoppers. But experts called to the scene said that they would grow wings within a week, if allowed to, and would then be able to fly up to 30 miles a day. In America, too, an agricultural emergency has been declared in Utah, where the Mormon crickets have so far caused $25 million of damage to crops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanpeter Posted June 19, 2001 Report Share Posted June 19, 2001 In America, too, an agricultural emergency has been declared in Utah, where the Mormon crickets have so far caused $25 million of damage to crops. Great galloping gopher butts! Mormon CRICKETS?!! What, do they show up at your front door in twos? This really COULD become a problem! ------------------ No offense meant to anyone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2001 Report Share Posted June 20, 2001 <h3>Swarms of voracious grasshoppers heading out of the hills, into farms</h3> By Kiley Russell Associated Press Writer CLOVIS, Calif. (AP) -- Late season rains, lush foliage and then sudden, triple-digit springtime temperatures have combined to bring millions of grasshoppers down from the hills, worrying California's farmers and nursery operators. Farms from Plumas County in the north to San Diego County in the south are reporting swarms of the voracious insects in fields of alfalfa, citrus, grapes and ornamental nursery stock, among other crops. Although the grasshoppers have not put much of a dent in the state's $26 billion agricultural economy, many growers say it's the worst infestation they've seen in years. "They're coming in droves. For every one we control with pesticides, a thousand more are on the way," said George Cooper, owner of Central Valley Trees, a 40-acre retail nursery in rural Fresno County just outside of Clovis. For the past several weeks, the grasshopper swarms have been blanketing Coopers' nursery stock, devouring anything green in their path. They strip the oleanders and shade trees to the bark before moving onto the next tasty shrub. Entomologists blame the infestation on a combination of weather patters and vegetation growth in the state's coastal and interior foothill regions. Late season rains kept foliage lush and green around the state this year, providing plenty of food and perfect breeding grounds for the grasshoppers. Then, all at once, springtime temperatures hit triple digits and hovered there for several days, sapping unirrigated soil of its moisture and turning the foothills brown, said Phil Phillips, an entomologist with the University of California Cooperative Extension in Ventura County. Soon, millions of hungry insects began to head for the greener pastures of commercial farms and well kept back yards -- a migration that normally takes months was packed into just a few hot, bug-infested weeks. Also, a microorganism known as "nosema" that feeds off grasshopper eggs in the spring before they hatch has been less active this year, allowing an unusual number of young grasshoppers to survive. "It's almost like astrology -- everything lines up just right and -- bang-o! -- we have a problem. It's not anything we can be predictive about," Phillips said. Reports of damage vary from different parts of the state and no single commodity group is claiming disaster. San Yenez Valley farmers along the south-central coast are experiencing few problems, even as grasshoppers have reportedly blanketed small gardens in the area and even filled a swimming pool. Some farmers in the Central and Monterey valleys, however, are being hurt, while many county agricultural officials are fielding calls from worried residents of subdivisions that border large tracts of open land. "Some growers have experienced some problems but most of the reports we've had have been from homeowners. The grasshoppers are moving off nearby range land and feeding on shrubs and grass and whatnot," said Madera County Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Don Mayeda. "It's the most grasshoppers that have been around here in probably 10 to 15 years," Mayeda said. Many growers combat other insects by using pesticides in the spring that can kill off invading grasshoppers as well, Mayeda said. Bait traps set along the perimeters of orchards and fields also seem to keep crops safe unless the grasshopper populations grow beyond the trap capacity or have already settled into the crop. Organic growers, however, have a more difficult time controlling the swarms. "I'm estimating that there are 30 percent of my vines that are not looking good -- they're stripped of leaves," said organic wine grape grower Ken Jones, who runs the small Volo Del Corvo Vineyards in Monterey County. Some of that damage is from other, "run of the mill" causes, but the infestation "may have set me back a year or longer," Jones said. Walking along the trellises in his vineyard these days is like walking in a popcorn popper filled with grasshoppers, he said, and he's having problems getting rid of the pests because he can't use conventional pesticides. Jones is mowing the weeds that he let grow between the vines as ground cover in an attempt to cut back, at least to some degree, the grasshoppers' food supply. There are some sprays and soaps available to organic growers he might try. "They seem to have a preference for the Italian grapes as opposed to the zinfandel and other varieties," Jones said. For his part, Cooper is going to try scattering pesticide bait around his nursery, in the hopes of saving some of his stock this year. "We had a similar problem several years ago -- I was just giving up hope when the dear Lord in His infinite wisdom sent a flock black birds to eat the grasshoppers," Cooper said. "I haven't seen the birds yet this year." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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