Ivan Seeking
Apr2-04, 10:17 PM
In the eye of the swarm
All over eastern Australia farmers are struggling to cope with great swarms of locusts. But where do these plagues come from?
The insect swarms could not have come at a worse time for the farmers, who were only just recovering from bushfires and the worst drought to hit the country in 100 years.
Unfortunately, it is precisely the conditions that were helping them to recover - a little rain, the growth of new shoots - that have also created the locust problem. [continued]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3583337.stm
All over eastern Australia farmers are struggling to cope with great swarms of locusts. But where do these plagues come from?
The insect swarms could not have come at a worse time for the farmers, who were only just recovering from bushfires and the worst drought to hit the country in 100 years.
Unfortunately, it is precisely the conditions that were helping them to recover - a little rain, the growth of new shoots - that have also created the locust problem. [continued]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3583337.stm