Locusts Invade North China

June 1, 2000 — Hordes of locusts are threatening drought-stricken regions in North China where the summer grain harvest has been parched by, what is in some areas, the driest weather in 120 years.

TheChina Dailyreported that the crop-devouring insects have descended on 1,630,000 acres of land in the provinces of Hubei, Shandong and Henan. The paper quoted agricultural officials who reported that 3.2 million acres of grassland in the northwest had already been stripped bare by the insects in early May.

The locusts are proliferating because the drought, along with the extensive desertification that has occurred in the region, has provided the ideal breeding grounds.