Swarm enemies

Locusts might become an endangered species following last week’s approval of
the world’s first bioinsecticide active against the insects. Tradenamed Green
Muscle, the fungal pesticide spray, made by Biological Control Products of
Durban, has been cleared for sale in South Africa. The spray contains spores of
Metarhizium anisopliae, a fungus that invades and kills locusts and
grasshoppers but which is harmless to beneficial insects. It kills 9 out of
every 10 locusts within 21 days, says David Dent of CABI Bioscience in Ascot,
Berkshire, who heads the international team which developed the spray.