the Punjab government has stepped up measures to avert the occurrence of a mealy bug attack, which claimed 5-7 per cent cotton crops in 2007. The state government is worried because field

An outbreak of desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) in Sudan could intensify and spread along both sides of the Red Sea in winter this year. "This could give rise to a potentially dangerous

despite the two recent floods which forced farmers to plant seedlings late, Bangladesh has achieved season's target of cultivation of paddy on 5.3 million hectares, say officials. In

ARCHI RASTOGI it is said that locusts thrive in warm weather. Folk wisdom has it that the outbreaks of the oriental migratory locust (Locusta migratoria manilensis) follow either droughts or

around 25 per cent of the cotton crops stand damaged in Punjab because of the pest

there is little chance for a new bird or butterfly being discovered in the Western Ghats now, says a recent study. It has, however, not ruled out the discovery of frogs and grasses. First

The red spider mite (Panonychus ulmi) is threatening tea plantations in the Nilgiri hills. The infestation has been reported from a number of places including Coonoor, Kotagiri, Kundah and

For the first time, Taiwan closed a busy motorway section to make way for butterflies. The effort was to create a safe passageway for swarms of milkweed butterflies that flit along its city roads