If we take the menace, nuisance and destructive Locust, we can create a win/win situation by and allowing it to survive and happily eat our bio-waste filling up our dumps. Then as it progresses and digests the food it will create energy. If we control the rate of reproduction then everyone in the food chain wins. The locusts also make a very healthy dietary supplement, which through genetic evolution our human bodies are indeed capable of eating, thus providing us with additional high protein kick for our brains, which have also evolved to need more protein. In Arab cultures without eating hooved animals their diets are often lacking that protein and therefore more apt to succumb to radical religious indoctrination. Years of Locusts plagues and swarms offer a chance to increase that much needed protein content and bring more folks there into mainstream moderate personal belief systems. By doing this it will be much easier to get along in the world without turning over their brains to a Cleric, turning to Jihad against their first world neighbors. The answer may be to: eat more locusts.

Cypriot farmers may do well to turn to a U.N. site that counsels if you can't beat them eat them. Locusts are rich in protein. Eating locusts has been documented from Biblical times. According to the Christian new testament, John the Baptist survived on locusts and honey when he was in the desert. The locusts reached eastern Mediterranean countries in early November of 2004 after the worst infestation recorded in Africa for more than a decade. They proclaimed a fest on them, we shall eat them.

I am sure this makes you hungry just thinking about it. Me too, but lets not forget our friends the Locusts, they need to eat too and they need to eat a lot for them to mature into Adult Locusts. There are many species of locusts all of which can be eaten. Although the Desert Locust is considered to be the most important species of locust due to its ability to migrate over large distances and rapidly increase its numbers, there are several other important species of locusts throughout the world:

African Migratory Locust (Locusta migratoria migratorioides) Africa;

Oriental Migratory Locust (Locusta migratoria manilensis) - South-East Asia;

Red Locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata) - Eastern Africa;

Brown Locust (Locustana pardalina) - Southern Africa;

Moroccan Locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus) - North-West Africa to Asia;

Bombay Locust (Nomadacris succincta) - South-West to South-East Asia;

Australian Plague Locust (Chortoicetes terminifera) - Australia; Tree Locusts (Anacridium sp.) - Africa, Mediterranean, Near East.

All Locusts seem to have similar lifecycles and are somewhat predictable in that regard. Since these insects already exist in regions where we have populations, which need to be fed we can use these native insects to our advantage to feed us and supplement what is increasingly missing in our diets and the diets of the third world due to ever growing populations. The desert locust is a good species for this project since generally they live for about 3-6 months, which varies based on Weather and Ecological conditions of the region. This means we can keep them happy and contained until needed.

The Acridoidea, has a 3-stage life cycle; Egg, Hopper, Adult. The eggs hatch in two weeks generally although it has also been documented that the period could increase to as high as 65 days. Hoppers develop in many stages over a month and a half. The adults mature in about three to nine months. Generally a time period of 2-4 months is considered average. This is clearly a remarkable species with some very positive attributes for controlling in times of non-war. To build these insects and genetically modify them to fit this need, should be a simple issue of finding the exact set of specimens in the species and breed them. The female Acridoidea will lay eggs in pods and in sand about a half inch to one inch deep. A solitary female will lay 95-160 eggs, gregarious female will lay less than 80 eggs in a pod. Generally these females will lay eggs three times during their lifecycle, not more less than 6 to 12 days apart. Reproduction conditions for breeding are simple enough and can easily be controlled. Moist sand or clay in an open area and green vegetation for hopper development, all of this is easily controllable. This means we can easily breed massive numbers quickly. Up to 1000 egg pods have been found in a square yard in the wild.

Lance Winslow

Currently Lance is retired at age 40 and is running an Online Think Tank Forum while traveling North America. Perhaps considering something extremely challenging to do that will exercise his mind and utilize all his experiences, observations and skills. Any ideas?