Biological Control of Locusts and Grasshoppers

In the period 1985-8, rains over much of Africa after a period of prolonged drought triggered the development of plague populations of grasshoppers and locusts. Countries from Senegal and Mauritania in the west to Iran in the east were affected. The use of costly and sometimes environmentally hazardous insecticides did contribute to the subsequent control of the problem, but highlighted the need for a reassessment of locust control methods. As a result, a collaborative programme was initiated in 1989 and undertaken by the International Institute of Biological Control of CAB International (CABI-IIBC), the Biological Control Program of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA-BCP) and the Department of Crop Protection Training of the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS-DFPV). Its main objective is to show the feasibility of killing locusts and grasshoppers using an oil-based formulation of a fungal pathogen. This volume contains the proceedings of a workshop held at Cotonou, Republic of Benin, from 29 April to 1 May 1991, and organized as part of this collaborative programme.