Locusts
Locust is the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers. They can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory. They are also capable of traveling through huge fields and destroying the crop. Read on!
Don't Blame the Locusts
The crisis in Niger is not simply the result of swarming insects and drought, says Jeevan Vasagar.
Niger President Denies Famine
The president of Niger has denied reports that the country is facing a famine, saying his people "look well-fed". President Mamdou Tandja admitted that a devastating locust invasion and poor rains had created a food shortage, but said that was not unusual for Niger or the entire Sahel...
Plague of Locusts Invades France
In a devastating new twist to the severe drought hitting southern Europe, France is now fighting a plague of hundreds of thousands of locusts which are devouring everything from crops to flowers in village window boxes.
Locusts Continue Relentless Advance
Some wore buckets on their heads, others swung sticks, and those who could sheltered indoors, praying for an end to the locust invasion which yesterday swept through Mauritania's capital, Nouakchott. The swarm devastated crops and the city's few parks, and left residents feeling besieged...
Italy Hit By Plague of Locusts
Tourist spots in Italy are being invaded by plagues of locusts. The town of Matera in the south of the country, which was the location for Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ, has been overrun by the insects just as it was hoping for a tourist boom prompted by the film...
Planes Sent to Attack African Locusts
Spain has sent seven aircraft to help a multinational effort to contain swarms of locusts that are threatening to devastate crops in Africa and spread north through Morocco and, potentially, to Europe. "It is a lot easier to control the plague in the desert than in Spain," Juan Peña,...