How to control locusts

[Devil's advocate]

Worst year for 60 years

Is there anything more to this, such as a reluntance to use Dursban?

 

[farmerm]

Longer than usual period of drought allows juvenile numbers to build up, drop of rain and boom! What’s needed is a giant hoover, suck them up and roast them. Nom nom

 

[Devil's advocate]

Puts flea beetle into perspective

 

[Bogweevil]

Worst year for 60 years

Is there anything more to this, such as a reluntance to use Dursban?

Expected in East Kent by mid-week. Fungal insecticide available in East Africa promisingly called Green Muscle, will need emergency approval for UK use.

 

[John Slejpner]

Who cares. What we really need to be concentrating on is rewilding significant chunks of our countryside, preferably with shed-loads of taxpayers ££


In Africa some areas do use insecticide - applied off a plane targeting newly emerged adults. Works if they can be spotted and hit early enough. Useless if they get going and your swarm is x miles by y miles. I think - Lowland??

 

[Devil's advocate]

Who cares. What we really need to be concentrating on is rewilding significant chunks of our countryside, preferably with shed-loads of taxpayers ££


In Africa some areas do use insecticide - applied off a plane targeting newly emerged adults. Works if they can be spotted and hit early enough. Useless if they get going and your swarm is x miles by y miles. I think - Lowland??

Pont I was making really. That they used to mointor breeding areas & hit hard early with Dursban. I thought the practice was banned?

 

[John Slejpner]

Pont I was making really. That they used to mointor breeding areas & hit hard early with Dursban. I thought the practice was banned?

i think i have seen it done quite recently - on part of a BBC natural world documentary concerning locusts (12-24 months ago?)

 

[Lowland1]

The Kenyan government are advising people that locusts are a good source of protein and can be harvested as food for both people and animals. The wife and i will give that a miss. There are 3 registered products.Dimilin, Dursban and Cypermethrin. I have been told Fipronil and Fenitrothion can work. Unfortunately for me none of these can be used on veg so our options are limited and if any of these were sprayed by air on our crops we would have to chop them in.Hopefully it will stay cold and they'll keep away.

 

[Devil's advocate]

i think i have seen it done quite recently - on part of a BBC natural world documentary concerning locusts (12-24 months ago?)

Australlia, I saw the programme.

To save guard exports to the EU I'm sure the middle East/North Africa countries have banned Dursban.

 

[ajd132]

How quickly Would a population that large be resistant anyway? Insecticides don’t work in the long term, we have seen that in the U.K.!

 

[Chae1]

How quickly Would a population that large be resistant anyway? Insecticides don’t work in the long term, we have seen that in the U.K.!

Was there resistance to neonics before there ban?

 

[Gong Farmer]

Was there resistance to neonics before there ban?

There's resistance to all pesticides in all disease, pest and weed populations, even to ones that haven't been invented yet.. It's just that these individuals don't have the advantage (so don't proliferate) until that chemical comes along and is applied.

 

[ajd132]

Was there resistance to neonics before there ban?

Definitely with the amount being used and the complete over reliance

 

[Devil's advocate]

Definitely with the amount being used and the complete over reliance

I'm far from spraying everything.

But locusts are a threat & a effort should be made.

Must be a real feast for the insect feeding birds, you would think birds would migrate in to eat them.