236 
KEPOKT ON ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
Locusts 
Losses due to 
locusts 
VI. Locusts 
iSehistocerca ■peregrina and Acridimn wgi/ptium 
Undoubtedly the most important of all the insect pests from which agriculturists in the 
Sudan suffer are migratory locusts. The two species that occur regularly are the yellow 
locust — iSchistocerca peregrina — and the reddish-brown locust —Acridiiim ceggptium. 
Almost every year, after the rains have commenced, swarms of young locusts emerge from 
the soil, where the eggs which gave rise to them have been hidden, and proceed to devastate 
the country. Where the eggs have been laid among the cultivations the “ hoppers,” as the 
immature locusts are called, are at once seen, and frequently large numbers are destroyed, 
but where the swarms occur in the desert they are often not noticed until, having attained 
maturity, they take wing and appear in countless myriads on cultivations situated possibly 
many miles from where they passed the first days of their existence. 
The occurrence of locust swarms, however, is not limited to the rainy season, as instanced 
last year in Longola Province. Vast swarms appeared in the Debba, Korti and Merowe 
mamurias on June 2nd, coming from the Payuda desert, and remained until June 22nd, 
when they disappeared in the direction of Abu Hamed. During that time they completely 
devoured the summer crop of dura, which was then just appearing above the ground, and 
stripped the date palms of their leaves, and in some cases of their fruit as well. 
It is not easy to estimate the value of the crops destroyed by locusts, consequently the 
following figures for the year 1907, which have been furnished by the Governors of the various 
provinces, must be looked upon as merely approximate. 
For the Blue Nile Province the loss to Government in taxes is estimated to have been 
.UB 3,500 and to the country as a whole to have been £B 38,000. For the province of Sennar 
the figures given are respectively £B 3,695 and £E 36,950, and for the province of Kassala 
£E 1,200 and UE 7,000-8,000. Other provinces suffered to varying extents, but these 
figures will be sufficient to convey an idea of what the arrival of a swarm of locusts in a 
district means to the inhabitants. 
In some provinces, notably in those of Berber and Khartoum, strenuous efforts have 
been made by those in authority to control the locusts, but owing to various reasons, sucb as 
(1) lack of funds, (2) scantiness of population, and (3) reluctance on tbe part of the natives 
to make any serious endeavour to collect locust eggs or to destroy hoppers, unless they are 
actually attacking their crops, these efforts have not met with unmitigated success. 
The various methods that may be adopted in dealing with locust swarms were fully 
described in the Second Report of these Laboratories, so it is only necessary here to point 
out the advantages and disadvantages that attend them. 
Destruction of eggs . — This is only practicable where the egg batches are deposited fairly 
closely together, and where there is sufficient labour available. From observations made 
last year on the yellow locust — N. peregrina — the swarms appear to spread themselves over 
large areas before commencing to lay their eggs. 
Destruction of hoppers. -The nature of the country, and the conditions under which the 
locusts occur, render the various methods known as burning, crushing, trapping and catching 
of little real value, except under special circumstances. Sometimes it happens tliat the 
scrub can be burned—in Berber Province during 1!)()7 large numbers were destroyed in 
the vicinity of the .\tbara by driving them into the “ Dom ” scrub and firing it- -but as a 
rule the desert scrub will not burn without the aid of some inflammable substance such as 
