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2.4 Summary and evaluation
The results obtained so far permit the following conclusions to be drawn:
a) IGRs, botanicals and fungal spores are well suited for future locust control measures, but must be applied in a manner appropriate to the local habitat conditions. Due to their delayed action (no knock down effect), they are of only limited use for control measures on cultivated land. For the treatments carried out with IGRs and botanicals, the larvae largely ceased their migratory behaviour within 24 h, reduced their food consumption, and were increasingly devoured by predators. Because of this reduction in fitness, hopper bands could also be treated with these products in the vicinity of cultivated fields, as presumably no serious damage to the cultivated areas would be expected.
b) By selecting the appropriate methods, equipment and location for treatment, savings of insecticide of up to 85 % were achieved. The treatment of bands at their sleeping and resting places could even be carried out in densely settled areas by the farmers themselves or by the local plant protection services, while large-scale applications (barrier treatments) would be the task of the national control teams.
c) Food consumption, i.e. preferences and amounts, showed that general treatments, as previously carried out, are in many cases superfluous. Instead, targeted measures are called for, taking into account the size of the hopper bands, migratory behaviour, habitat conditions and the presence of predators. Consequently, new strategies adapted to the local and regional situations must be developed. For this, adequate prospecting is necessary to locate and quantify the locust populations, determine their habitat conditions, estimate potential crop harvest losses, and to evaluate the future development of each situation. In order to carry out such examinations, on the one hand, considerable research is still needed, and on the other hand, it is equally important to take measures to ensure basic and advanced training, especially of local personnel.