Field Observations on the Appearance of Acridids and Their Natural Enemies in the Gambia

A 1994 field survey of Sahelian grasshoppers and locust populations in natural vegetation, millet and rice fields in The Gambia determined the period between mid-August and early September to be the optimal time for applying oil-formulated conidia of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var acridum to control the acridids. Locust and grasshopper cadavers were also examined for fungus infection. Metarhizium anisopliae was absent from cadavers of natural grasshopper populations, while the entomopathogenic fungus Entomophaga sp. was recovered on Hieroglyphus daganensis cadavers and the nematode Hexamermis sp. from Kraussaria angulifera, The predatory cattle egret fed on swarming adult desert locusts.