|
|
|
 |
| Last Update: 21/11/2004
19:43 |
|
| Huge swarms of locust land in Eilat, Arava
desert |
|
|
| By Amiram Cohen, Nir Hasson, Yoav Stern, and Revital Levy-Stein, Haaretz
Correspondents |
|
|
|
|
Huge swarms of locust landed near two
Dead Sea hotels, as well as a number of communities in the western
Negev desert, on Sunday afternoon. |
|
|
| There is
growing concern that the locusts, which flew in from Egypt, will
destroy thousands of shekels worth of crops.
Sites where the
locusts have touched down include the hotels Ein Bokek and Nevah
Zohar, near the Dead Sea, and the moshavs of Yavol, Talme-Yosef, and
Sde Nitzan, in the western Negev.
Very large swarms of
locusts also landed in Eilat and the Arava region of southern Israel
on Sunday, in waves larger than those which have descended on Israel
in recent days.
Farmers began to spray the insects with
pesticides themselves, directed by specialists from the Agriculture
Ministry. Crop dusters will also spray the swarms from the air again
on Monday morning.
The chairman of Eshkol Regional Council,
Uri Naamati, said that the insects threaten the apple crop in
communities under his jurisdiction, and are likely to cause real
economic damage.
In Eilat, the swarms, millions of insects
strong, have caused a panic among residents, according to the Plant
Protection and Inspection Services.
According to the service'
director, Dr. Eldad Landes, the large swarm will eventually move to
Jordan and areas next to the Jordanian Arava. Landes noted that the
service is coordinating with its counterpart in Jordan.
Crop
duster planes sprayed locusts at Aveda, Kibbutz Yahal, and other
areas in the Arava on Sunday morning. The locusts, which arrived
from the Sinai, are likely to move on during the day Sunday, with
the help of expected south-westerly winds.
An anticipated
temperature drop could also influence the locusts' migration. The
locusts will prefer to stay on the ground if the air cools
substantially. In that case, it will be easy to spray the remnant of
the swarm with pesticide.
Several waves of locusts have
arrived in Israel since Friday, so far affecting communities in the
south and southeast of the
country.
| |
|
 |
|
| A dense swarm of locusts descending on a neighborhood
in the southern port city of Eilat on the Red Sea coast Sunday.
(Mori Chen) |
|
| Top Articles |
|
| The Bangalore
route to riches |
|
| A cheaper, dedicated, dynamic workforce is hard to
resist as Israeli firm expands in India's Silicon Valley. |
|
| By Ido Alon |
|
| An
Israeli-style model |
|
| At the end of every international tournament, Avraham
Grant has the habit of adding the word, "model," to the name of the
surprising team of the moment. |
|
| By Ronen Dorfan |
|
|
|
|
| Special Offers |
|
|
|
