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Eggs The Next Locust Threat

Despite the enormous effort by landholders to control hopper locusts in the Swifts Creek area large numbers of adult locusts have been swarming around and in Swifts Creek for the past three weeks.

By Department of Primary Industries - 14th December 2005 - Back to News

Despite the enormous effort by landholders to control hopper locusts in the Swifts Creek area large numbers of adult locusts have been swarming around and in Swifts Creek for the past three weeks, said Dr Malcolm Campbell, Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Principal Scientist.

"The adults have begun laying eggs and it is extremely important for people to monitor where the egg beds are established and be prepared to spray them when they hatch and become hoppers.

"Female locusts drill holes in soil and lay eggs. Each female can lay 30-50 eggs in each batch and may lay several batches.

"This means that in the next hatching, which depending on the weather is probably as early as the beginning of January 2006, we can expect a large increase in locust numbers.

"It is important that landholders are prepared to spray hopper locusts when they hatch which could begin in early January and continue throughout the month.

"The swarm, while moving around the area to some extent, has not moved out," said Dr Campbell.

"Swifts Creek sits in a depression surrounded almost completely by hills which combined with the good feed available in the form of grass has probably preventing the locusts from moving away.

"The adult locusts could live for another 4 – 8 weeks," said Dr Campbell.

Landholders are encouraged to continue to report locust activity particularly where egg beds are established.

A monitoring/mapping procedure, to track and record sightings, egg beds and adult locusts is established, with the information readily available on the DPI Plague locust website www.dpi.vic.gov.au.

The website provides regular updates on the locust situation across the state, as well as information about the lifecycle of the Australian Plague Locust, fact sheets, and other material to assist the community.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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