DESERT LOCUST UPDATE

FAO Emergency Centre for Locust Operations (issued 16 Jan 1997)

16 January 1997

Control operations continue against declining infestations of immature swarms in southern Morocco. Scattered adults persist in a few places in northern Mauritania. Low and insignificant numbers of adults are present on the coastal plains along both sides of the Red Sea. So far, solitary breeding is limited to the Tokar Delta of Sudan.   New information received since the last Desert Locust Bulletin (220) indicates that several small low to medium density immature swarms continued to be reported during the second half of December and first half of January in southern Morocco. The infestations are concentrated in a relatively small area south of Agadir which has recently received rainfall. Some swarms threatened to enter agricultural areas of the Souss Valley. Ground and aerial control operations treated nearly 32,000 ha in the last half of December but only 7,500 ha during the first two weeks of January. This suggests that infestations are declining. So far, there have been no reports of swarms in the Souss Valley or of any crop damage. In Algeria, a few solitary adults are present in the south. In Mauritania, only scattered solitary adults are present in the north, mostly near Atar and on the coast near Nouakchott, and to a lesser extent in the El Hank area. Nomads reported seeing some swarms moving northwards in central and northern areas during late December and early January. There were also a few reports of swarms along the coast between Nouakchott and the Senegal River Valley. No control operations were undertaken during the first half of January. In the winter breeding areas along both sides of the Red Sea, low numbers of first to third instar solitary hoppers were reported in millet crops in Tokar Delta of Sudan in mid December. These originated from adults that laid eggs in mid November. Elsewhere, scattered adults are probably persisting in areas where locusts were reported last month: near Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, in south-eastern Egypt and perhaps the coastal plains of Eritrea. No significant infestations were reported from Yemen. Conditions are expected to be favourable for breeding, especially near Port Sudan which received moderate rains in early January. No locusts were reported from South-West Asia. Countries are urged to send results of locust survey and control operations to FAO on a regular and timely basis so other countries and donors can be kept informed of the developing locust situation.

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The FAO Desert Locust Bulletin is issued monthly, supplemented by Updates during periods of increased Desert Locust activity, and is distributed by fax, e-mail, FAO pouch and airmail by the Locusts,Other Migratory Pests and Emergency Operations Group, AGP Division, FAO, 00100 Rome, Italy. It is also available on the Internet. Telephone: (39-6) 522-52420 or -54578 (24 hr, daily) Facsimile: (39-6) 522-55271 Telex: 610181 FAO 1 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.fao.org (Global Watch)