Posted on 11/20/2004 2:19:54 PM PST by NormsRevenge
The wave of locusts that hit Israel over the weekend intensified Saturday evening, with a fresh swarm of relatively large locusts being spotted over the southern city of Eilat and with the insects reaching as far north as the southern section of the Dead Sea.
Swarms of large locusts landed on Saturday evening near Faran in the Arava region and Neot Hakikar south of the Dead Sea.
Agriculture Ministry workers have been scanning the area in order to find the exact location of the swarms.
A wave of relatively large locusts was spotted flying over the southern city of Eilat earlier on Saturday. This was the second wave of locusts to have hit the city in as many days.
The swarm came in from the north west and was seen at the outskirts of an Eilat neighborhood. This swarm then headed north and landed near Kibbutz Faran in the Arava.
Another swarm of locusts, coming from the area of Sde Boker in the Negev, landed in the fields around Kibbutz Neot Hakikar south of the Dead Sea.
Toward dusk the two swarms settled for the night.
The Agriculture ministry stated, however, that it wasn't clear whether the new swarms of locusts would swoop further north in Israel or carry on into Jordan.
The ministry said earlier on Saturday it was preparing to spray insecticides in the event that more locusts are spotted in the region. The ministry began spraying pesticides against locusts on Saturday morning after swarms hit agricultural areas in the southern Negev desert on Friday.
Five cropdusting planes began spraying Saturday morning against locusts that have descended on agricultural areas in the Negev desert.
The planes exterminated the pesticides in riverbeds near Kadesh Barnea on Israel's border with Egypt.
The Plant Protection and Inspection Services said thousands of locusts have also hit Eilat and municipality workers were spraying the parks in the city on Saturday morning. After the workers sprayed in the city, there were no further reports of locusts spotted in Eilat.
"We are checking all the time and the planes are spraying in areas where there is a large concentration of locusts," said an Agriculture Ministry official.
The substance used to destroy the locusts was authorized by the ministry and the Plant Protection and Inspection Services have promised they would use a diluted version of the insecticide, which won't cause other kinds of animals to be poisoned, should they consume the dead locusts.
Locusts were first spotted Friday afternoon in the southern neighborhoods of Eilat and in the hotel district of the city. Many residents of Eilat called the municipality's hotline to report the arrival of the insects.
The younger locusts cause a relatively limited amount of damage, usually attacking gardens or vegetable patches. But one swarm, which was spotted near Kibbutz Eilot, concerned the members of the kibbutz, since fields of vegetables and melons - some already ripened and ready for harvest - could be seriously hurt.
Israeli officials and their counterparts in the region have been monitoring the locusts' movement for weeks. Earlier this month, a few individual locusts were spotted along the coastal plain and in communities including Palmahim, Tel Aviv and Karmiel.
The Agriculture Ministry received a request from its Palestinian counterpart to coordinate steps aimed at eliminating the locusts if they do arrive in the area.
Agriculture Min. confirms presence of locusts in central Israel
By Amiram Cohen, Haaretz Correspondent
The Agriculture Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that they had spotted "desert locusts" in the Palmahim, Tel Aviv and Holon areas. The officials believe that there are only tens or hundreds of locusts in the area, but teams of experts will be sent to the areas to examine the situation more thoroughly.
The Agriculture Ministry announced on Tuesday precautions for a locust invasion. Swarms of the suspected desert locust landed recently in Lebanon and western Cyprus, where crop damage has been reported.
Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz said emergency measures include placing the ministry's "locust squads" on alert to spot swarms and destroy them upon landing, checking the availability of pesticides for spraying locusts, coordinating with crop-duster companies, and maintaining daily contact with the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
The desert locusts, mentioned in the Bible, originate in central Africa. In the past few weeks there have been reports of swarms of locusts in Senegal and Mauritania, and the insects spread north to Morocco and Algeria.
The movement of the locusts is primarily dictated by the direction and force of winds in the region. According to ministry experts, the large number of insects in Lebanon and Cyprus came from north Africa, aided by southwestern winds.
The last major invasion by locusts into Israel was in 1959, when swarms who came from Africa crossed the Red Sea and spread up the Saudi coast toward Jordan and Israel.
Arafat reincarnated?
He always was a little pest.
I know this may sound a little radical, but concerning how hard it is to kill this many locusts. Since we can track swarms of locusts as they travel, has anyone considered using a 'fuel air' bomb on them when they cross over a deserted area where there are no people or crops that could be destroyed.
" using a 'fuel air' bomb "
You read my mind...
I think they fly sort of low, but a crop duster putting out a fuel airesole BELOW their flight path followed by ignition would probably kill 90 percent of the cloud.
You have to wonder why God is doing this.
The trick would be the timing and where they can use it. And I am not talking about using a MOAB, nor 'Dassy Cutter', but a much weaker 'fuel air' bomb.
I've always kinda wanted to see a huge swarm of locusts: there is something inherently fascinating about a swarm of bugs that stretches for miles. I was also very dissapointed that the cicadas missed Columbus OH last spring.
That being said, we should do everything in our power to wipe out these giant swarms... they truly are a plague.
My daughter is in Eilat. When I called her this morning, she didn't know anything about it!
Could it be because today's leaders in Israel are h_ll-bent on giving away land for so called "peace"????
The locusts escaped when they opend the gates of hell for Arafat.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.