AN INVASION OF BRITISH GUIANA BY LOCUSTS. 345 



As the swarm reached British Guiana each piece of cleared and cultivated land 

 received a detachment of winged locusts, more especially those areas situated 

 on the higher lands. This distribution was most uniform ; only very few grants 

 escaped. Roughly, the course taken by the swarm was over Yarakita (see map) 

 and the neighbourhood (where a large detachment stayed behind) and from thence 

 practically all agricultural areas on the Aruau, Aruka, Barima and Waini Rivers 

 were thoroughly infested. They penetrated even to Arakaka. Their course from 

 the North West District to the Pomeroon District (see map) is uncertain. Rumours 

 were prevalent of a large swarm being seen moving over the sea, at some distance 

 from the land though in a parallel direction. It appears more probable, however, 

 that they flew from point to point overland. Thus cultivations in the neighbourhood 

 of Santa Rosa (see map), Acquero and Waramuri on the Moruca River were 

 infested by the locusts. 



The Pomeroon River appears to have been a particular objective, as almost 

 every grant — and there are many — for some twenty-five miles up the river soon 

 swarmed with winged locusts. On the Essequibo Coast, from Hampton Court 

 to Good Hope on the Supenaam Creek, a large number of scattered areas swarmed 

 with winged locusts, and they penetrated inland some seven or eight miles. Thus 

 the cassava cultivations of the Arawak Indians living on the large fresh-water 

 lakes in this vicinity were attacked. They made their appearance at several places 

 on the right bank of the Essequibo River as far up as the Penal Settlement, and 

 also appeared on the left bank at the Hills Estate and at Agatash. These points 

 appear to have been the limits of their flight. 



It is fairly certain that this large swarm originated on some of the islands in 

 the mouth of the Orinoco River. If this was the case, the insects that reached the 

 Penal Settlement in British Guiana must have covered roughly about 200 miles 

 in their flight and that against the direction of the prevailing wind. No locusts 

 penetrated into the County of Demerara or reached Berbice, as they appear to 

 have done on a previous occasion. 



The Campaign Against the Locusts. 



Official information concerning the swarm of locusts which had invaded the 

 North West area of the Colony was received at headquarters on 23rd July 1917, 

 together with specimens of the insect. On 26th July we left for the invaded area 

 and proceeded to investigate the situation. 



The gravity of the position at once became apparent. In this part of the Colony 

 there are numerous small farms, ranging in size from 20 to about 100 acres. The 

 majority of them have only come into existence during recent years, and many of 

 them still show signs of having been lately cleared of forest. These cultivations 

 produce large quantities of vegetables, such as tannias, eddoes, yams and cassava ; 

 a great quantity of maize or Indian corn is also grown. Permanent crops consist 

 of Liberian coffee and rubber (Hevea brasiliensis). The North West District supplies 

 a large part of the vegetables consumed in Georgetown, and since the war, and 

 consequent food shortage, such a supply has naturally become important. The 

 threatened destruction of such crops by a swarm of locusts was therefore a matter 

 of no small consequence. 



