Evening star., 1943-02-15
Scientists Wage War
Against Deadly Locust
In Middle East Area
Allied Army Control
On Borders Facilitates
Attack on Vicious Circle
BY THOMAS X. HENRY,

LONDON (Bv MaiD In unex-
plored depths of the Arabian desert
and in dank jjungles of Ethiopia a
small British force is fighting a
death battle against one of man
kinds oldest and most destructive
foes which threatens to produce
large areas OF Qesolati ton in the
Near East.
For the first time since the earH-
est recorded invasions, described in
the Old Testament, entomologists
believe they have found the Achilles
heel of this scourge. the desert
locust. which, If left unchecked.
promises seriously to reduce the
forage and food supplies of the
Allied armies from Suez to Algeria
this year.
Once started. the locust sweeps
onward with devastating thorough
ness. 1t does not leave blade of
grass in its path. Famine follows
its passage. Up to now it has ap
peared without warning out of the
unknown. 1t has been regarded by
the desert people as an unavoidable
visitation Of an angry deity.
Campaign Halted by War.
Within the past decade, however,
a great deal has been learned about
its origins and ways of life and
just before the outbreak of the pres
ent war, an international campaign
was planned against it, This was
prevented by the start of hostilities,
with the result that the scourge
already has gotten good start for
its next march westward.
But this past years successes in
the Near East have given the Brit
ish government precisely the op-
portunity it needed to fight the
hordes as a unit. without regard
to international boundaries. The
plans are described by DR.. B. P.
Uvarof1, head of the locust control
division of the Imperial Institute of
Entomology.
The difficulty in the past, he ex-
plains, has been the strange life
cycle of the insect, which involves
to Ethiopia and extending west
ward over large part of North
Africa. Much of this country was
unknown. 1t was split into political
subdivisions which made united &C
ton difficult.
Back and Forth.
1t is vicious circle. First, it has
been determined, the swarms breed
during the summer monsoon rains
in India. In the autumn the young
are sufficiently developed to sweep
westward into South Persia and
Arabia. There another swarm is
bred which IN the spring moves
northward and westward into the
Soviet Middle East, Iraq, Trans
jordania, Syria, the Sinai Peninsula,
Palestine, Egypt and Ethiopia.
The next rainy season gives them
another opportunity to breed in
countless numbers and they turn
east again. to meet the Indian
produce another genera
ton and sweep west again. Southern
Iran seems to be the most impor-
'tant breeding ground this winter
Unless something is done there Is the
prospect of repeated swarms for the
next two or three years and destruc-
ton of already depleted food sup
plies. ,,-. =.
The weak point has been Arabia.
The country where the locusts breed
Is little known. There is practically
no agriculture. The population is
almost entirely nomadic and the
presence of the scourge makes little
difference to them.
Experts Tackle Problem.
To combat them. a special anti
Middle East supply center of the
British Army and motorized parties
led by experts are being sent into
the desert to. deal death blows to
them in the breeding season. 1t Is
described as joint project OF the
British, Iranian, Soviet and Indian
governments.
For the first time since there has
been any knowledge of the life cycle
of the pests, it has become possible
to deal with them at the western
end of the vicious cycle, Ethiopia.
Special motorized units are operat-
ing there.
Another danger is from the
African migratory locusts which
start their inyasions eastward from
French West Africa The French
government had perfected plans for
attacking their breeding places be-
fore the war, but was prevented
from carrying these into effect by
the isolation OF the colony. The
work now has been resumed, how
ever, with promises that it will be
pursued vigorously.