This reactionary strategy can be wasteful, inefficient, and has to be repeated annually as upwind source populations increase. In the past, unnecessary insecticide applications were applied as precautionary measures. Just as in any war, fear of an unknown invasion can prompt irrational actions. Knowledge of enemy airborne movements provide a rational basis for designing a defense. The design should consider the source area, dispersal phase, and destination area.
Dispersal can be one of the most important events in an insect's life cycle.
It is good for the insect and bad for the farmer. However, airborne dispersal is the least understood or documented aspect of an insect's life cycle. Biblical stories of locust plagues are dramatic. Farmers and entomologists yearn for more knowledge about airborne dispersal. However, this knowledge is difficult to obtain when the flight occurs at night or at high altitudes.