Riddle of Liberian insect plague.
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/africa/7865240.stm

A devastating plague of caterpillars ravaging part of West Africa is not armyworms, as previously believed, but an unidentified species, experts say.

A UN emergency co-ordinator told the BBC the insects in Liberia and Guinea were very different from armyworms.

He said experts had noted the insect has distinct feeding patterns, life cycle, habits, movement and appearance.

Specialists are studying the pest to find a way of controlling the swarm, which has affected 400,000 residents.
As well as devouring crops, the infestation has polluted water sources with faeces.

'Flabbergasted'

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation emergency co-ordinator Tim Vaessen said insect experts had realised the species was not armyworm during a field trip to Bong County in Liberia last week.

While armyworms feed on ground cereal like millet, rice or sorghum, he said, the unidentified insect favours munching the leaf of the Dohama tree.

Mr Vaessen said the unknown species' cocoons are found on the surface beneath ground leaves, whereas armyworm casings are buried in the soil at a depth of several centimetres.

He also said the mystery caterpillar appears to rear up, making half circles in the air as it moves forward, which the armyworm does not do. The wings of its moth also appear different.

Mr Vaessen told the BBC News website: "Our experts in the field spoke to villagers who said they'd seen this type of caterpillar before. They said they'd put leaves under trees and burned them to suffocate the caterpillar with smoke.

"But the villagers said they've never seen it in such large numbers before, they're really flabbergasted."

The FAO has sent pictures of the insect to experts at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Benin and at Cardiff University as part of efforts to help identify the species.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image..._armyworm1.jpg




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Re: Riddle of Liberian insect plague.
 

Shwee! I most certainly need new glasses. :doh:I thought this thread was titled, "Riddle of LIBRARIAN insect plague" and I thought it was going to be a funny dig at bookworms (like Dan.) :original:

Re: Riddle of Liberian insect plague.
 

Yeah,nothing as original or outrageous as that Brinto!lol.
Bearing that in mind it's rather upsetting for Liberians.

Re: Riddle of Liberian insect plague.
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/africa/7868086.stm
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Liberian crop pest mystery solved
By James Morgan
BBC News
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...6_dscn9065.jpg
The mystery pest which has devoured crops and contaminated water in Liberia and Guinea has finally been identified. The insects, thought to be armyworms, are in fact the caterpillars of the moth Achaea catocaloides. Cornering the culprit will allow the government to select the best pesticide to tackle the outbreak - the worst seen in Liberia since 1970. More than 20,000 people have so far had to evacuate their homes. The Liberian President declared a national state of emergency after caterpillars were reported to have infested more than 100 villages, including several over the border in Guinea. "We really have some homework to do now - because the caterpillars are still spreading." One piece of good news for farmers is that the caterpillars are likely to be easier to control than armyworms would have been. They spin their cocoons on the ground under fallen leaves, which leaves them relatively exposed. One challenge will be reaching the sites of the caterpillar eggs - which are laid on the leaves of very tall Dahoma trees. These eggs hatch into caterpillars which feed on the leaves of the trees until they mature and fall to the ground, where they pupate. Caterpillars which are not yet mature begin migrating in search of food - leading them to crop fields, into water bodies and residential areas. The cause of this year's unexpectedly large outbreak is likely to be UNUSUAL WEATHER PATTERNS.