Attachments
General Situation during November 2006
Forecast until mid-January 2007
Small hopper bands formed during November in northwest Mauritania and in southern Western Sahara from of an outbreak that occurred in October. Small groups of hoppers and adults formed in Mali and Niger as vegetation dried out. Ground teams in Mauritania, Western Sahara and Niger treated 3,200 ha. Limited infestations are expected to persist in these countries in the coming months and, unless further rainfall occurs, breeding should end. Small-scale breeding started along the Red Sea coast in Sudan and Eritrea, while only isolated adults were present in Yemen. Breeding is expected to occur during the forecast period on both sides of the Red Sea causing locust numbers to gradually increase. The situation remained calm in Southwest Asia.
Western Region. Ground control operations treated nearly 900 ha of hopper bands and groups in northwest Mauritania and 600 ha in Western Sahara during November. In Mauritania, these operations were supplemented with biological control trials using Metarhizium. As little rain fell during November, the infestations were limited to just a few areas and should remain so unless more rains fall. Although low temperatures will delay egg development and locust maturation, there is a risk of adults moving further north to northern Mauritania and the Draa Valley in Morocco during periods of warm southerly winds. Surveys could not be carried out in northeast Mali but small groups of hoppers and adults formed further west near Tombouctou as well as further east on the Tamesna Plains in Niger. Ground teams treated 1,700 ha in Niger. As vegetation continues to dry out in Mali and Niger, locusts will concentrate in the few areas that remain green where they could form small groups. No locusts were reported elsewhere in the region.
Central Region. Isolated solitarious adults were present and laying eggs in a few places on the Red Sea coastal plains in Sudan and Eritrea. Solitarious adults were also reported on the Red Sea coast in Yemen. Small-scale breeding is expected to occur during the coming months along parts of the Red Sea coast between southeast Egypt and central Eritrea as well as from the central coast in Saudi Arabia to Yemen. The extent of the breeding will depend on rainfall during the forecast period. Consequently, all efforts should be made to monitor these areas closely on a regular basis.
Eastern Region. Low numbers of solitarious adults persisted in a few places in Rajasthan, India during November. Limited breeding occurred in one area that was flooded in August. No significant developments are expected during the forecast period in the region.