REDSO/WCA project assistance completion report for Mauritania insect infestation assistance project

Through ground and aerial spraying, short-term training, and an egg pod survey, the project helped contain locust/grasshopper infestation in Mauritania. The grasshopper egg pod survey, conducted in conjunction with Mauritania's Crop Protection Service in the country's southern and southeastern regions, determined the geographic distribution of egg pod areas and determined species with active diapause or continuous reproduction. With the survey results, the Service was able to optimize its efforts. The project also supported a public awareness initiative which used radio, newspapers, and television to address public health concerns and to recommend practices for safe insecticide use. The project entomologist served as a representative at a grasshopper/locust workshop in Washington DC in 1988. While, overall, regional and national efforts to control infestation were successful, initiatives in the northern region were sometimes hindered due to that area's vastness, the presence of mines left from past military operations, and the potential for cross-border attacks from Senegal.