Research
Synopsis of the 1986-1989 Desert Locust
(Orthoptera: Acrididae) Plague and the
Concept of Strategic Control
A. T.
SHOWLER AND
ABSTRACT Desert locusts, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal), in Africa began to swarm in 1986, and through 1989 threatened to destroy
crops in the Sahel, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and southwestern Asia. The region had a long history of locust outbreaks but
was unprepared for the magnitude and duration of the last plague.
Efforts were aimed at protecting the crops rather than at stopping
the plague at its points of origin. Factors that caused the plague's
demise are identified, and strategic locust control for preventing or
terminating future plagues is described and discussed. Integrated
pest management, financial coordination, research, organizations
specific to the task, effective logistical support, and international
cooperation are essential to strategic control.
HE DESERT LOCUST, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), inhabits North Africa, Sudan, the Sahel,'
and the Arabian Peninsula to northwest India. During plague
recession periods, desert locusts exhibit solitary behavior (Pedgely
1981). It is assumed that postdrought expansion of vegetated land
leads to rapid locust population buildups on limited foliage (International Fund for Agricultural Development [lFAD] 1990, Walsh
1988); competition for food triggers phase transformation on a regional scale. Phase transformation involves gregarious behavior at
the nymphal and winged adult stages. Large scale swarm outbreaks,
or plagues, extend the desert locust's recession distribution to encompass the Middle East, India, the sub-Sahel from Guinea to Tanzania, and parts of southern Europe (Pedgely 1981).
Each swarm can have billions of adult locusts, with up to 80 million
per km2 covering an area of > 1,000 km2 (Steedman 1988). Gregarious
nymphs can march 1.5 km per day in dense bands, and swarms can
fly 100 km per day; both travel in the general direction of prevailing
winds. Each locust can consume its own weight (2 g) of leaves, fruit,
flowers, seeds, and bark daily. Nearly all green vegetation is devoured,
with the possible exception of coffee. Crops at risk include millet,
sorghum, maize, rice, sugarcane, wheat, barley, cotton, fruit trees,
vegetables, and rangeland grasses, among others. Desert locust plagues
can be devastating. In 1954, Morocco's Sousse Massa Valley lost
$50 million (in today's dollars) worth of crops in only 6 wk (Steedman
T
1988).
1 Arid and semi-arid
regions of sub-Saharan Africa that include Burkina
Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.
106
C.
S. POTTER
In 1986, desert locust populations in recession areas responded to
ideal conditions and developed to plague status, a situation that had
not occurred since the last major plague of 1950-1962 (Pedgely
1981). This synopsis briefly describes the 1986-1989 locust campaign
in Africa, and discusses a promising but untried method for plague
prevention that would be less costly and more environmentally sound
than emergency locust control during plagues.
The Campaign
In 1986, desert locust swarms from Sudan and Ethiopia moved
west across the Sahel (Walsh 1988). More breeding occurred around
the foothills of the Adrar des Iforas of Mali, the Air Mountains of
Niger, the Tibesti of Chad, the Red Sea Hills of Sudan (Fig. 1), and
to a lesser extent, in Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia,
and southern Algeria until early 1989 (Appleby et al. 1989). Desert
locust movements (Fig. 1) are largely determined by meso-scale and
synoptic-scale weather patterns2 that can spread swarms throughout
their plague distribution area (Pedgely 1981). Major desert locust
invasions occurred in 23 countries (List 1) during the 4-yr plague;
most countries were unprepared after 30 yr of locust recession. Governments in afflicted countries mobilized crop protection resources
and personnel, often at the expense of other agricultural concerns,
to provide locust surveys, logistical support, and control operations.
External assistance ($255 million in cash or in kind) was contributed
(Table 1) by 48 donor countries and international organizations (Office of Technology Assessment [OTA] 1990). Other organizations
were responsible for data collection and regional locust surveillance
and control (Table 2).
Desert locust swarms were located using information gathered in
many ways. Ideally, surveying for locusts begins with model-generated forecasts] from the Programme de Recherches Interdisciplinaire
Fran~ais sur les Acridiens du Sahel (PRIFAS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), but these were not always accurate.
Greenness maps-produced by National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) satellite-based remote sensors that capture
images of the relative amounts of green foliage-were useful; 10-d
2 Determined by satellite imagery and by local ground-based
weather stations,
respectively.
] FAO used the African Real Time Environmental Monitoring and Information System (ARTEMIS) for cold cloud measurements to assess weather
conditions by satellite imagery, and data collected by PRIFAS, AGHRYMET,
and others (OTA 1990).
AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST
List 1. Countries afflicted with major desert locust invasions, 1986-1989
Algeria
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Chad
Ethiopia
Gambia
India
Iran
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sudan
Tunisia
Western Sahara
Yemen Arab Republic
Fig. 1. General desert locust movements: A, spring 1987; B, summer 1987;
C, fall and winter 1987-1988; D, spring 1988; E, summer 1988; F, fall and
winter 1988-1989. Arrows in the Atlantic show swarm movement to Cape
Verde. Breeding areas: 1, Red Sea Hills, Sudan; 2, Eritrea- Tigray region,
Ethiopia; 3, Tibesti area, Chad; 4, Air Mountains, Niger; 5, Adrar des (foras
Mountains, Mali; 6, Mauritania; 7, northern Senegal.
composite maps then are made at a scale of 1 km2 per pixel (Tappan
et al. 1988). The maps showed areas likely to harbor locusts so that
ground surveys could be more selective and efficient (Appleby et al.
1989). Individual locust aggregations were located using repom from
military posts, nomadic herders, forest service lookouts, and professional scouts in ground vehicles and aircraft (Khoury et al. 1988,
Showier & Maynard 1988). High priority was placed on radio links
between scouts and local operations bases, and field reports often
were transmitted daily to the Ministry of Agriculture in each country.
Survey was difficult to perform because many desert locust habitats
were remote, rugged, or in war zones. Aerial and terrestrial scouts
tended to stay near roads (Showier & Maynard 1988), so large areas
were not always monitored. Armed conflict restricted survey in northern Mauritania (mined), western Sahara (contested), and Ethiopia and
Sudan (civil wars) (Appleby et al. 1989, Walsh 1988).
Locust control usually occurred before 0900 hours, prior to swarm
movement, using insecticides applied with an exhaust nozzle, conventional mist unit, or fogger units mounted on trucks; backpack
sprayers; or ultra-low volume or boom sprayers mounted on aircraft
(Khoury et al. 1988, Showier & Maynard 1988). Farmer brigades
were especially useful when government crop protection resources
were in short supply (OTA 1990). Niger, for example, had 10,000
five-person brigades. The brigades were trained by government crop
protection specialists and were provided with insecticides and equipment to control nymphal bands. In general, farmer brigades successfully protected crops (Appleby et al. 1989), but overexposure to
insecticides was an inherent concern (Potter 1988).
Insecticide use was the only technology available to combat locust
swarms under the compelling circumstances. The insecticide arsenal
included organophosphates
(e.g., malathion), carbamates (e.g., carbaryl), and pyrethroids (e.g., deltamethrin) (OT A 1990, T AMS-Consortium for International Crop Protection [CICP) 1989). Use of organochlorine compounds, such as dieldrin, was discontinued because
of concerns about environmental persistence (Walsh 1988). Research
continues to determine the efficacy and environmental
effects of
pesticides for locust control (Keith 1989a,b; Dynamac 1988) and to
develop cultural, mechanical, and biological control tactics (FAO
1989b, FAO-Emergency Center for Locust Operations [ECLO) 1989a)
to reduce reliance on pesticides.
(Duranton et al. 1989, FAO 1989a). Nymphal bands are less costly
to kill than swarms because less pesticide per locust is required, bands
occupy smaller areas than swarms, and bait formulations, which are
not effective against flying swarms, can be used (U.S. Agency for
International Development [USAID]-Morocco
1989). The preventive approach involves continuous surveys in recession breeding areas
and control when populations reach treatment threshold levels." According to PRIF AS (1989b), annual crop protection costs during a
plague will equal the cost of 15-20 yr of strategic control. Crop
protection tactics, instead of strategic control, were used during the
last plague for several reasons.
Table 1. Desert locust and grasshopper areas infested and treated, and
donor assistance in selected African countries during 1987 and 1988
Country
Chad
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Tunisiad
Area
infested,
had
530,000'
300,000
600,000
Area treated, had
By
ground
1987
42,428
2,239
22,365
136,950
By air
Total
Donor
assistance,
$"
212,555
166,866
225,200
278,050
254,983
169,195
247,565
415,000
1,312,000
4,873,000
1,236,000
4,998,000
41,840
619,940
570,000
246,600'
200,000
441,840
955,500
950,000
360,000
3,257,000
5,275,000
4,817,000
8,400,000
4,911,000
1988
Chad
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Tunisiad
871,000
2,750,000
1,900,000
?
400,000
335,560
380,000
113,400'
Crop Protection versus
Strategic Control
Appleby et al. 1989; Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance 1989a, b;
TAMS-Consortium for International Crop Protection 1989.
negligible or 0; ?, no reliable estimates available.
" In cash or in kind (e.g., aircraft, pilots, insecticides, sprayers, vehicles,
training, protective clothing, radio equipment, remote sensing maps) during
that fiscal year.
, Projected estimate, December 1987.
d Infested by desert locusts only.
, Estimates derived from 8-24 March 1988 data.
Crop protection aims to destroy locusts near croplands during
plagues. Alternatively, strategic control would halt or prevent plagues
by managing sexually immature desert locusts in major breeding areas
• Treatment threshold levels for desert locusts have not yet been developed.
Research in this area is being urged by the international community (aT A
1990, Appleby et al. 1989, FAO-ECLO 1989a).
Summer 1991
a_,
107
Table 2. Major organizations involved in the 1986-1989 desert locust
campaign
Acronym
Organization name
AGHRYMET
Regional Center for the
Training and Application
of Agrometeorology and
Hydrology of the Sahel
Comite Permanent InterEtats de Lutte Contre la
Secheresse dans la Sahel
Commission de Lutte
Contre Ie Criquet Pelerin
en Afrique du NordOuest
Desen Locust Control Organization for Eastern
Africa
Commission for Controlling the Desen Locust in
the Eastern Region of its
Distribution Area in
Southwest Asia
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United
Nations' Desen Locust
Control Committee
ClLSS
CLCPANO
DLCO-EA
DL-SWA
FAO-DLCC
FAO-ECLO
OCLALAV
PRIFAS
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United
Nations' Emergency
Center for Locust Operations
Organization Commune de
Lutte Antiacridienne et
de Lutte Antiaviaire
Programme de Recherches
Interdisciplinaire Fran~ais
sur les Acridiens du Sahel
USGS
U.S. Geological Survey
None
Commission for Controlling the Desen Locust in
the Near East
Appleby et a!. 1989, TAMS-Clep
Function
Collects synoptic weather
data
A drought institute, operates AGHRYMET
Desert locust survey and
control in nonhwest
Africa
Desen locust survey and
control in East Africa
Desen locust survey and
control in southwest
Asia
Overall intergovernmental body that coordinates all desen locustrelated control and research
Collects and disseminates
information; coordinates donor country
contributions
Locust, grasshopper, and
bird survey and control in West Africa
Combines weather data,
acridid development
models, and soil and
vegetation maps to
predict locust movements
Produces greenness maps
for Nonh and West
Africa
Desen locust survey and
control in the Near
East
1989.
Unpreparedness.
Locust invasions overwhelmed existing control
capabilities and caused fear of serious crop loss. Despite FAO warnings, government crop protection personnel could not shift immediately from normal activities to combat the sudden locust invasions
(FAO 1989a). Some regional control organizations (Table 2) were
unable to respond to the widespread outbreaks-a
result of inadequate funding by member nations during the previous 30 yr (Appleby
et al. 1989).
Competing Pressures. Outbreaks of the Senegalese grasshopper,
Oedaleus senegalensis (Krauss) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), across the
Sahel compounded the challenges posed by the desert locust plague
(Appleby et al. 1989). The Sahel is periodically threatened by drought
and pests (Lal 1988, Steiner et al. 1988), and conservation of its
subsistance agriculture was imperative. Similarly, North African national economies depend heavily on agricultural production; the loCUStplague placed their export and subsistance crops at risk. Also,
because North Africa did not harbor major breeding sites of desert
locust, efforts were aimed largely at crop protection.
Remote Breeding Areas. Extensive breeding occurred mostly in
the vast and rugged Sahara (Fig. 1), which precluded rapid deployment
of resources to critical breeding areas (FAO 1989a).
108
Ill-defined Responsibilities. Some Sahelian countries showed little
capacity for strategic control in remote northern provinces, arguing
that breeding did not immediately threaten their own crops and
therefore represented more of a risk to neighboring countries. Adjacent countries, however, usually were not allowed to conduct crossborder survey and control operations (Appleby et al. 1989). In particular, North African concerns arose from vulnerability to locust
invasions from breeding areas in the Sahel.
Conflict. Areas of armed conflict and desert locust breeding often
coincided. Crop protection efforts, albeit expensive, were largely
successful; crop loss in general was <5% of total agricultural production in each country (FAO 1989a). The cost-benefit
of crop
protection alone, however, has been a topic of controversy (OT A
1990).
Breaking the Plague
Crop protection tactics did not stop the locust breeding cycle (OT A
1990). Instead, four conditions
were apparently responsible
for
breaking the plague.
Storm Front. In October 1988 a storm front from West Africa
carried swarms across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, from Trinidad
to the Virgin Islands (PRIFAS 1989a, Walsh 1988), to where predators
and saline soil conditions did not permit reproduction (Torres 1988).
The numbers of locusts that drowned en route must have been large,
based on the estimated quantity that survived or were washed ashore
dead (PRIFAS 1989a, Torres 1988).
North African Winter. A cold 1988-1989 winter in North Africa
halted the expected eastward movement of swarms along the Mediterranean coast (Khoury et al. 1988, Showier & Maynard 1988)
before they could be turned south to the Sahel by northerly spring
winds (Steedman 1988).
Control in North Africa. Swarms were controlled in North Africa
before they could breed and move on to the Sahel. North African
countries had more resources for locust control than Sahelian countries and did not experience simultaneous grasshopper outbreaks. In
the fall of 1988 alone, about one million ha were sprayed in Morocco
(McKay 1988); by November up to 81,000 ha were being treated
per day (Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance [OFDA] 1989b). Algerian and Tunisian control operations eliminated escaped swarms
(Potter & Showier 1990, Showier & Maynard 1988). Countries in
southwest Asia also imposed control before much breeding occurred.
Dry Weather. About 20 mm rain must fall before soil is suitable
for desert locust oviposition (Steedman 1988). Dry weather in 1989
across Sudan and the Sahel also reduced vegetation at critical times
and in critical areas, resulting in the prodUCtion of fewer swarms
(FAO 1989a, PRIFAS 1989a).
Strategic Control for the Future
ParticipantS at the International Conference on the Locust Peril
in 1988 agreed that a preventive control strike force is needed to
avoid future desert locust plagues; the idea was endorsed by the
United Nations General Assembly (FAO 1989a) and is supported in
principle by PRIF AS (Duranton et al. 1989). The purpose would be
to coordinate control efforts with government crop protection personnel and regional organizations (Table 2) and to ensure control in
breeding areas during recession periods.
According to FAO (1989a), a strike force would involve a command pOSt near each area of operations, a central command post in
each country, and FAO representatives on site to help organize activities. Regional organizations would gather information, provide
training, and conduct local control and survey operations; overall
AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST
coordination
and planning would be the responsibility of FAOECLO. National crop protection resources could then be concentrated in agricultural areas to deal with more chronic pest problems.
FAO (1989a) proposed that preventive control teams be placed
where potential breeding is highest (e.g., southern and northern Mauritania, the northern Mali-Niger and Sudan-Chad border areas, and
the Red Sea Hills in Sudan) (FAO 1989a). PRIFAS and IFAD have
similar plans with more teams in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and
Libya (IFAD 1990, Duranton et al. 1989). A preliminary cost estimate
is ~$SS million for a S-yr preventive program.
To implement strategic control, surveys must be continuous and
systematic. Greenness maps are useful for planning surveys, but for
quick delivery of general greenness information, data should be faxed
to local strike force bases (Appleby et al. 1989). The Regional Center
for the Training and Application of Agrometeorology
and Hydrology
of the Sahel (AGHRYMET) greenness maps, now produced in Niamey, Niger, are being distributed to the Comite Permanent InterEtats de Lune Contre la Secheresse dans la Sahel (CILSS) member
nations. In addition to searching for nymphs and adults, surveys of
locust egg pods (Popov 1988) would locate areas where populations
originate for control upon eelosion.
Survey operations often were hampered by lack of training, vehicles, and other equipment. Improved donor coordination
would
meet needs better and avoid overstocks (Appleby et al. 1989). Proper
selection of aircraft also is important. Helicopters should sometimes
be substituted for fixed-wing aircraft, which were often grounded at
muddy airstrips in wet seasons, and long-range aircraft should be
deployed at remote airstrips. Future campaigns, should they become
necessary, could involve an aircrafr bank, perhaps administered by
a United Nations agency (Appleby et al. 1989).
Selection of pesticides and formulations should be based on environmental concerns, human safety, efficacy, shelf-life in African
conditions, available application equipment, cost, and life stage of
the target population. In the event of another plague, farmer brigades
should use low-hazard products (e.g., microbial agents) and avoid
concentrated or highly toxic pesticides. A pesticide bank, as created
by the European Economic Community during the last plague, would
provide a choice of pesticides and minimize storage and disposal
problems associated with stockpiling (Appleby et al. 1989).
Training of field personnel in survey methods, reporting, acridid
identification, population estimation, radio operation, pesticide safety and storage, calibration and equipment maintenance, and evaluation of treatment efficacy are essential. Research should aim to
improve pesticide formulations, application, and selectivity; reduce
environmental
side effects (Keith 1989a,b; Dynamac 1988); refine
remote sensing technology; determine treatment threshold levels;
assess crop loss; develop biocontrol agents (e.g., fungi, protozoa,
viruses) (FAO-ECLO 1989b, TAMS-CICP 1989), botanically derived
insecticides, antifeedants (e.g., neem extract) (Khoury 1988), growth
regulators, kairomones, and pheromones; and find useful phytohormone linkages.
Conclusion
Desert locust control in Africa is complex and requires coordination among governments and international
organizations.
Crop
protection during locust emergencies in the economically fragile Sahel and North Africa is vital to human survival, but it is expensive.
Integrated pest management of the desert locust would require continuous survey, timely and selective intervention, and detailed knowledge of the pest. Based on lessons learned from the last locust campaign, strategic control should emphasize regional coordination
to
prevent or halt future plagues by monitoring desert locust populations and using integrated pest management tactics to prevent the
build-up of locusts in breeding areas.
Summer 1991
Acknowledgment
We thank W. Settle, W. Knausenberger, H. Khoury, and B. Youmans for critical reviews. Special thanks to crop protection and donor
country personnel in Algeria, Chad, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Sudan,
and Tunisia.
References Cited
Appleby, G., W. Settle & A. T. ShowIer. 1989. Mid-term evaluation of the
African Emergency Locust/Grasshopper Assistance (AELGA) project.
Tropical Research and Development, Gainesville, Fla.
Duranton, J. F., M. Launois, M. H. Launois-Luong, M. LeCoq & T. Rachadi.
1989. La lutte preventive contre Ie criquet peIerin en Afrique. Programme
de Recherches Interdisciplinaire Fran~ais sur les Aeridiens du Sahel, Montpellier, France.
Dynamac. 1988. Progress report on the results of Mali-Sudan pesticide
testing project. Dynamac Corporation, Rockville, Md.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 1989a. International strike force
to control the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forsk)j plan for 1989
and early 1990. FAO, Rome.
1989b. Meeting on desert locust research: defining future research priorities. FAO, Rome.
FAO-Emergency Center for Locust Operations (ECLO). 1989a. The desert
locust research and development register. FAO-ECLO, Rome.
1989b. Desert locust bulletin no. 134. FAO-ECLO, Rome.
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). 1990. Inter-regional programme for preventive desert locust control, program summary.
IFAD, Vienna.
Keith, J. O. 1989a. Trip report: environmental effects of insecticides used
in locust control: Senegal. Denver Wildlife Research Center, Denver.
1989b. Trip report: Morocco. Denver Wildlife Research Center, Denver.
Khoury, H. 1988. Mission report on the neem kernel extract efficacy tests
against grasshoppers/locusts conducted in Niger from 14 July to 15 September, 1988. Agency for International Development (AID), Washington,
D.C.
Khoury, H., C. S. Potter, H. Moore & A. Messer. 1988. Technical mission
report for the Tunisia locust control campaign, 2 November-iS December,
1988. AID, Washington, D.C.
Lal, R. 1988. Soil degradation and the future of agriculture in sub-Saharan
Africa. J. Soil Water Conserv. 43: 444-451.
McKay, I. R. 1988. Final report of consultant to Morocco locust project.
Consortium for International Crop Protection, College Park, Md.
Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). 1989a. Disaster case
report: Africa and Near East-insect infestation. OFDA, AID, Washington,
D.C.
1989b. Disaster case report: overview of the desert locust plague FY1988.
OFDA, AID, Washington, D.C.
Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). 1990. Special report: a plague of
locusts. OTA, U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C.
Pedgely, D. 1981. Desert locust forecasting manual. Centre for Overseas
Pest Research, London.
Popov, G. B. 1988. Report on mission to Mali. AID, Bamako, Mali.
Potter, C. S. 1988. Environmental assessment of the Tunisia locust control
campaign. OFDA, AID, Washington, D.C.
Potter, C. S. & A. T. Shawler. 1990. The desert locust in Tunisia-a case
study on implications for the agricultural sector and beyond. In I. W.
Zartman (ed.), The political economy of Tunisia. Johns Hopkins University
Press, Washington, D.C.
Programme de Recherches Interdisciplinaire Fran~ais sur les Acridiens du
Sahel (PRIFAS). 1989a. Surveillance des acridiens au Sahel: leme d'information du 27 avril 1989. PRIFAS, Montpellier, France.
1989b. Surveillance des acridiens au Sahel: lettre d'information du 7 juillet
1989. PRIFAS, Montpellier, France.
ShowIer, A. T. & K. A. Maynard. 1988. Algeria locust operations assessment, November 12-December 12, 1988. OFDA, AID, Washington, D.C.
Steedman, A. 1988. Locust handbook. Overseas Development Natural Resources Institure, London.
Steiner, J. L., J. C. Day, R. I. Papendick, R. E. Meyer & A. R. Bertrand.
1988. Improving and sustaining productivity in dryland regions of developing countries. Adv. Soil Sci. 8: 79-122.
109
TAMS-Consortium for International Crop Protection (CICP). 1989. Programmatic environmental assessment for locust and grasshopper control
in Africa and Asia. TAMS Consultants and ClCP, College Park, Md.
Tappan, G. G., T. R. Loveland, D. G. Orr, D. G. Moore, S. M. Howard &
D. J. Tyler. 1988. Pilot project for seasonal vegetation monitoring in
support of locust and grasshopper control in West Africa. EROS Data
Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Sioux Falls, S. Oak.
Torres, J. A. 1988. Tropical cyclones effects on insect colonization and
abundance in Puerto Rico. Acta Cient. 2: 40-44.
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Morocco locust control project 608-196. AID, Rabat, Morocco.
Walsh, J. 1988. Locum in Africa: a plague is possible. Scien!:e 24: 16271628.
THE
GENERAL PURPOSE
"BLACK LIGHT"
TRAP
• Scientifically designed for the best possible
catches of nocturnal and crepuscular insects.
• Developed under the direction of scientists in plant
pest control for use in the field by entomologists, and
researchers in insect monitoring.
THE GENERAL PURPOSE
"BLACK LIGHT" TRAP ...
'.' is built from top to bottom with the field user in
mind. It is ruggedly made yet not overweight. It
knocks down for compact transport from one
location to another, yet sets up easily and quickly with
pliers and screw driver.
Received for publication 10 October 1990; accepted 12 February
1991.
[J
The collection container is ample even for a big catch of relatively large insects. To help in
segregating the catch by size. interior baskets with screen bottoms may be added.
Collection container unhooks easily for removing catch, locks firmly in place when resetting trap.
• Electrical Box: Wired for hook-up to 110 V, 60 cycle AC current, or power pack
Allan T. Showier is the entomologist for the Office of Agriculture,
Bureau for Science and Technology, Agency for International Development (AI D), U.S. State Department Building, Washington, D.C.
20523. Chris S. Potter is an ecologist for the National Research
Council, NASA-AMES Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 94034.
At the time of manuscriPt preparation, A. Showier and C. Potter
were American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows
(AAAS) in the OFDA, and the Bureau for Science and Technology,
AID, respectively. The views herein represent those of the authors
and not necessarily those of AID.
• DaylNight Photocell Option: 15 watt trap is now available for battery operation with an
automatic switch that cuts oN current in full daylight. This switch is actuated by photocell and
is adjustable.
Wrife or phone for additional
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