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N0KFQ > TODAY 26.07.14 18:16l 42 Lines 1757 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 31829_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Jul 26
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<IK2XDE<PY1AYH<PY1AYH<CX2SA<ZL2BAU<N9PMO<VE1MPF<VE9MPF<
N0KFQ
Sent: 140726/1701Z 31829@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.60
Jul 26, 1931:
Grasshoppers bring ruin to Midwest
On this day in 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descends on crops
throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres.
Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, already in the midst of a bad
drought, suffered tremendously from this disaster.
Since the very beginning of agriculture, people have struggled to
prevent insects from eating their crops. Locusts and
grasshoppers, insect cousins, are among the most feared pests. A
plague of these insects can occur when conditions cause their
populations to suddenly explode. Usually this happens under
drought or very dry conditions, since their egg pods are
vulnerable to fungus in wet soil. When the soil is very dry,
swarms can develop.
Professor Jeff Lockwood of Wyoming describes being in a swarm as
follows, They explode from beneath your feet. There's sort of a
rolling wave that forms out it front of you. They hit up against
your body and cling against your clothes. It's almost like being
immersed in a gigantic living being. Locusts and grasshoppers
undergo a significant transformation when they become part of a
swarm. Their wings and jaws grow, enabling them to travel greater
distances and increasing their appetite.
The July 1931 swarm was said to be so thick that it blocked out
the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop.
Cornstalks were eaten to the ground and fields left completely
bare. Since the early 1930s, swarms have not been seen in the
United States. However, North Africa and parts of the Middle East
continue to experience problems with insect swarms, which
sometimes includes as many as 1 billion bugs.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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