LOCUST SWARMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 7 April 1934, Page 7

LOCUST SWARMS

NEW METHOD OF ATTACK USE OF POISONOUS DUST SPRAYED FROM AEROPLANE (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, sth April. A large scale attack hv clouds of poisonous dust distributed from an aeroplane will he made upon locust swarms which cause annually £1,500,000 worth of damage in tropical and sub-tropical Africa. This new method was evolved by Mr H. H. King, who two Years ago, when Government Entomologist to the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, discovered by laboratory tests that adult locusts fell speedy victims to a spray of finely ground sodium arsenite. He conceived the idea that swarms might he successfully encountered by discharging a cloud of this poisonous dust from an aeroplane flying across the line of their flight. His suggestion was taken up by the locust control committee of the Economic Advisory Council, and funds were provided by the Colonial Development Fund.

Technical advice and assistance on many problems involved were obtained from the Royal Aircraft establishment at Farnborough, the Imperial Institute of Entomology and the Chemical Defence Research Department of the War Office, and all that is now required is a practical full scale trial. This will he undertaken by Mr King itimi-olf. He sails to-morrow for Northern Rhodesia, where an aeroplane will bo chartered from Imperial Airways and fitted with special apparatus, and a consignment of finelypowdered sodium arsenite awaits their arrival. Locusts are abundant in this territory, and it is hoped that _ Mr King during flights next month will he able to collect sufficient data for the locust control committee to judge of the efficacy and practicability of the scheme. If successful details of the methods will he made more available in all territories where locusts are a menace to agriculture. During the last five years a committee of the Economic Advisory Council, financed partly by the Empire Marketing Board and the British colonies and dependencies affected in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, has been making a survey of the breeding grounds and the migratory habits of locusts. The swarms range over enormous areas. Hitherto the attacks have been concentrated on locusts in their larval, nr hopper stage, but these are ineffective where locusts inhabit thick bush country. Thus great importance attaches to the wholly new method of combating the plague.