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Pat Shingleton: "Locusts..."

6 years 1 week 4 days ago Thursday, March 08 2018 Mar 8, 2018 March 08, 2018 9:00 AM March 08, 2018 in Pat Shingleton Column
By: Pat Shingleton:
Heavy rain and mild temperatures in Northwest Africa can increase
the number of locusts.  When skies are overcast, locusts create a swarming
configuration that is spread-out. During hot weather, locusts will more likely
form swarms that can be a mile high. Locusts can destroy a field of crops in
a matter of hours and in Africa these bugs strike regularly. In Northwest Africa,
locusts have infested an estimated seven to ten million acres of land. 
Desert locusts consume their own weight of food each day.  In twenty-four hours,
a small area of swarming locusts eat enough food to feed 2,500 people. By
monitoring weather conditions, The National Meteorological and Hydrological
Services will be working in conjunction with the World Meteorological Organization
and containment specialists to predict
the breeding rates of swarms to better
eradicate them with pesticides.

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