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Topic: Desert locust

	Desert locust - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		When the locusts become gregarious they change from green coloured to yellow and fl, their bodies become shorter, and they give off a pheromone that causes them to be attracted to each other, enhancing hopper band and subsequently swarm formation.
		Desert locusts can consume the approximate equivalent of their body mass each day (2 g) in green vegetation: leaves, flowers, bark, stems, fruit, and seeds.
		Spatial distribution of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, in the plains of the Red Sea coast of Sudan during the winter of 1999.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Desert_locust (1675 words)

	Locust - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Locust is the name given to the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae.
		Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), probably the most important in terms of its very wide distribution (North Africa, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent) and its ability to migrate very widely.
		Locusts, encompassing four distinct species native to the Arabian peninsula, are the only invertebrates considered to be Kosher food.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Locust (695 words)

	Showler: The Desert Locust in Africa and Western Asia
		Locust scourges are referred to in the Christian Bible and the Islamic Koran, and in some places, locust plagues have been held responsible for epidemics of human pathogens, such as cholera (this is because of the massive quantities of decomposing locust cadavers that would accumulate on beaches after swarms flew out to sea and drowned).
		Normally, the desert locust is a solitary insect that occurs in desert and scrub regions of northern Africa, the Sahel (region including the countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger), the Arabian Peninsula (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman), and parts of Asia to western India (Steedman 1988).
		In 1986, a desert locust outbreak occurred in Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.
	ipmworld.umn.edu /chapters/showler.htm (7610 words)

	BBSRC Life - One of the crowd - the amazing desert locust (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
		The desert locust is one of about a dozen species of grasshoppers known as locusts which unlike other grasshoppers are able to change their behaviour in response to population density and to form swarms that can migrate over large distances.
		Between plagues, desert locusts typically exist in an area that occupies a band across Africa south of the Sahara and in to India.
		Locust Plagues: Desert locusts are usually restricted to the arid regions of Africa, the near east & south west asia - a total of about 30 countries.
	www.bbsrc.ac.uk /life/crowd/intro.html (339 words)

	FAO ISSUES DESERT LOCUST ALERT (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
		Desert locusts outbreaks were reported in areas of north-western Mauritania, northern Niger and north-eastern Sudan, the FAO said. Swarms of the migratory insect can devastate crops as they fly in great numbers in search of food.
		After several years of drought, exceptional rains in Mauritania have allowed the desert locusts to breed and increase in number, the FAO said. Vegetation had dried out much quicker than expected in the country, causing locusts to concentrate in three main areas in Western and central regions.
		In the Niger, locusts have been reported at a density of up to 20 hoppers per square metre and in the Sudan, where five aircraft are on standby, mature adult locust swarms have been seen along the Atbara river, some of which were laying eggs.
	www.un.org /News/Press/docs/2003/afr733.doc.htm (359 words)

	Science News:
		The desert locust lives in arid habitats of Africa and Asia, but its closest relatives are all found in the Americas.
		The desert locust tends to be solitary in dry environments with little foliage for food.
		Analysis of the Schistocerca family tree showed that the desert locust was at the base of the evolutionary tree.
	www.accessexcellence.org /WN/SU/locuststoryjan06.htm (578 words)

	A Plague of Locusts
		Desert Locusts swarm during years of exceptional rainfall, and these are also the times of exceptional harvests, so the possibility exists that this building swarm may only cause regional harm.
		Up to four locust generations are born each year, and it typically takes good rains, and at least four generations for the locusts to reach swarming density, as under these favorable conditions population growth is quite rapid.
		According to the FAO Emergency Center for Locust Operations, “the primary method of c o n t rolling Desert Locust swarms and hopper bands is with mainly organophosphate chemicals applied in small-concentrated doses by vehicle-mounted and aerial sprayers and to a lesser extent by knapsack and handheld sprayers.
	www.awitness.org /journal/plague_locusts.html (1733 words)

	Largest Swarm
		Locusts in the desert, mosquitoes in the Arctic and tropics, and butterflies, moths, beetles, bugs and dragonflies, almost everywhere have been seen in mass flights, often involving millions of insects all traveling in the same general direction at the same time (Eisner and Wilson 1977).
		Swarms of Desert Locust have been recorded somewhere or other in every year since 1860 (Rainey 1963); however, the longest plague period lasted from 1950-1962, and during this period the largest swarm was recorded.
		Rainey, R.C. Meteorology and migration of desert locust.
	ufbir.ifas.ufl.edu /chap27.htm (876 words)

	BBC - Nature Wildfacts -
		During quiet periods (known as recessions) desert locusts are usually restricted to a band across Africa south of the Sahara and in to India.
		When locust populations reach a critical density, they change their behaviour from individual (solitarious) insects to acting as part of a group (gregarious).
		During plagues, locusts can cover more than 20% of the total land surface of the world, where they have the potential to damage the livelihood of a tenth of the world's population.
	www.bbc.co.uk /nature/wildfacts/factfiles/3115.shtml (431 words)

	ARS \| Publication request: The Importance of Armed Conflict to Desert Locust Control, 1986-2002 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
		Salient areas of armed conflict in countries where key desert locust breeding areas exist, and the impacts of those conflicts on desert locust survey and control are described.
		The relative lack of applied research breakthroughs on desert locust monitoring and control means that for preventive or proactive control, direct access to the breeding areas is essential for both operations so that conventional, short residual pesticides can be applied to gregarizing or fully gregarious populations.
		There are a number of challenges to desert locust survey and control as it is currently practiced, and these include lack of funding and training, weak regional organizations, and remote and rugged terrain in breeding areas.
	www.ars.usda.gov /research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=146096&pf=1 (329 words)

	Sahel Resources (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
		Desert locust alternate infestation (plagues) and recession periods.
		In recession periods desert locusts concentrate in semi-arid and arid regions of Africa, near East and south-West Asia, In plague periods they expand over enormous areas covering the 20% of the total surface of the world.
		In fact desert locust biological cycle is strongly influenced by meteorological parameters, rainfall and wind, and meteorological related parameters such as soil humidity and vegetation development.
	www.ibimet.cnr.it /Case/sahel/infocus.php?page=mpp_main&menu=mpp (203 words)

	Africa Fights Locust Plagues (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
		Locust plagues may predate biblical times, but today scientists still struggle to fully understand and control the swarms that can bring famine to thousands.
		Locusts, from insect family Acrididae, are part of a large group of insects commonly known as grasshoppers.
		In 1954 locusts migrated from northwest Africa to the British Isles.
	news.nationalgeographic.com /news/2005/01/0107_050107_tv_locust_plague.html (1008 words)

	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations :: Environmentally Friendly Weapon Against Locusts Proves ... (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
		Locusts were clearly weakened and started moving slowly after four days and were then eaten by birds, lizards and ants.
		While previous tests on the efficacy of Green Muscle(R) for Desert Locust control were only conducted in laboratories and on small plots of land, this trial now proves that the fungus can be successfully applied by professional plant protection teams over a large area.
		The length of the incubation period depends on the environmental temperature; the fungus grows well between 15 and 35 degrees C. In the northern African and Sahelian countries that are most affected by desert locust infestations, this temperature range prevails during parts of the winter and the rainy season when locusts breed.
	sev.prnewswire.com /agriculture/20050628/CLTU50828062005-1.html (604 words)

	WISARD Project Server - project# 2756 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
		To determine the factors and processes which lead to changes in desert locust population numbers at the ends and beginnings of recession periods in order to improve predictions of the onset and decline of upsurges and plagues.
		Desert locust upsurges and plagues not only threaten agriculture and pasture production in Africa, the middle East and Asia, but also raise serious environmental and health concerns through the widescale use of pesticides for control.
		Desert locust management depends on maintaining an international, regional and national infrastructure to monitor locust populations and mobilise resources for control campaigns before the locusts reach agricultural zones.
	www.wisard.org /wisard/shared/asp/projectsummary.asp?kennummer=2756 (497 words)

	USAID Locust Emergency
		Desert locusts are normally solitary, scattered insects but when climatic conditions are favorable, for example after good rains and a mild temperature, they can rapidly increase in number.
		According to Mali’s Locust Control Operations Center in the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the locust infestation is worsening in central and eastern areas of the country, and large swarms have returned in western Mali around Kayes, Yelimane, and the Mauritanian border.
		On September 21, 2004, Ambassador Stafford determined that the impending threat of a locust infestation was beyond the capacity of the local and national authorities in The Gambia.
	www.usaid.gov /our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/locust (1751 words)

	Locusts and Rose-starlings
		Locusts in the desert of Kuwait: according to H. Dickson, who grew up among the Bedouin during the first half of the twentieth century, there were two species of locusts.
		For catching locusts the morning is the time when they are half benumbed by the cold and their wings are damp with dew so that they cannot fly; they may be found clustered in hundreds under the desert bushes and gathered without trouble, merely shovelled into a bag or basket.
		A local man's story of leading a large caravan across the desert at a time when all the wells on the road were filled with locusts: their water gave out, and they had no choice but to draw water at a well contaminated (like all the rest) with decaying locusts.
	www.iras.ucalgary.ca /~volk/sylvia/Locusts.htm (3574 words)

	ReliefWeb » Document Preview » Desert Locust Update - 20 Jun 2005
		The Desert Locust situation is a cause of concern in Sudan as several swarms moved east across the country from Darfur to Gedaref in mid-June.
		Desert Locust infestations continued to decline in the spring breeding areas in Northwest Africa.
		Although locusts were not seen during recent surveys in northern and central Algeria, small-scale breeding was in progress in the south near Tamanrasset where control operations treated 1,200 ha of late instar hoppers and scattered adults during the first week of June.
	www.reliefweb.int /rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-6DJEXP?OpenDocument (508 words)

	EO Study: Locust! Page 2
		Crop and rangeland damage due to locusts is a great threat to regional and global food security, and efforts have been underway for decades to control the formation of desert locust swarms.
		During quiet periods, called recessions, locusts are confined to a 16-million-square-kilometer (6.2-million-square-mile) belt that extends through the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, across the Arabian Peninsula, and into northwest India.
		Monitoring locust habitat during recessions means monitoring a large, forbidding expanse of arid and semi-arid terrain, often in conflict-ridden, developing countries with little infrastructure or technology.
	earthobservatory.nasa.gov /Study/Locusts/locusts2.html (458 words)

	Indian Agricultural Resources - Pest Management
		Locust are those species of grasshoppers (Acarididae) which under certain favourable conditions, multiply, congregate, more together in their nymphal stages as bands and the resultant swarms fly to distant areas in dense.
		The desert locust is a pest of worldwide importance as it is known to migrate in swarms from one country to another leaving behind famine.
		The chief aim of locust control is to destroy the locust in all its’ stages.
	www.indiaagronet.com /indiaagronet/pest_management/CONTENTS/Locust.htm (763 words)

	Newswise
		Current thinking about the desert locust, the swarming African insect that destroys crops and wreaks havoc on economies, has been that it originated in the western hemisphere and migrated to Africa.
		A new gene study shows that the desert locust of Africa launched the lineage of more than 50 species that live in the western hemisphere, between three and five million years ago.
		By comparing a portion of the mitochondrial genome of 20 locust species from different geographic locations, the researchers found that, indeed, it was the desert locust lineage that gave rise to the western hemisphere species.
	www.newswise.com /articles/view/516995?sc=rsla (589 words)

	Les experts / 6
		Both regarding the Desert Locust and the Malagasy Migratory Locust, preventive strategy is based on a wide knowledge of the biology and ecology of each of these species, and particularly on precise knowledge of their outbreak areas (Fig.
		Furthermore, as regards the Desert Locust, a comparison of recent control campaigns has shown that early reaction in the first breeding zones is directly linked to better control of upsurges (Showler 2001b).
		Plague and recession periods of the Desert Locust and of the Malagasy Migratory Locust, 1880-2000.
	homepage.mac.com /jmdelacre/criquets/page12.html (7497 words)

	ARS \| Publication request: Desert Locust, Schistocerca Gregaria Forskal (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Plagues
		Interpretive Summary: The desert locust is well known in much of Africa and Asia for its potential to cause complete crop losses at the local level within hours of the arrival of swarms.
		Usually, however, the desert locust is a solitary insect that occurs at low and economically unimportant population levels.
		Desert locusts are usually solitary insects (during plague recessions that can last for decades) that inhabit North Africa, the African Sahel, the Arabian Peninsula, and western Asia to the Pakistan-India border area.
	www.ars.usda.gov /research/publications/Publications.htm?seq_no_115=127312 (235 words)

	BBC NEWS \| World \| Africa \| Locust outbreak threatens Africa
		Outbreaks of locusts have been reported in Mauritania, Niger and Sudan and observers fear they could spread across the northern half of the continent.
		Desert locusts are normally solitary insects but when climatic conditions are favourable they can rapidly increase in number.
		The UN organisation says a full-fledged desert locust plague has the potential of damaging the livelihood of a tenth of the world's population.
	news.bbc.co.uk /1/hi/world/africa/3210464.stm (324 words)

	FAO: Number of Desert Locust Swarms Invading Mauritania, Senegal and Mali Increased in Past Two Weeks
		Locusts in the Sahel In mid-July, numerous swarms were seen moving south in the Adrar region of central Mauritania, causing damage to date palms.
		Desert locust swarms range from less than one half square mile to hundreds of square miles in size.
		Desert locust swarms travel a few miles to over 62 miles per day, or as much as 2175 miles (3500 km) in a month.
	www.prnewswire.com /cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/07-27-2004/0002218959&EDATE= (1022 words)

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