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Article: Wasp plague; Swarms threaten Britain as 'green' farming helps insects breed again.
- Article from:
- Daily Mail (London)
- Article date:
- August 6, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: JAMES INGHAM
FIRST we fought off swarms of flying ants, then suffered the invasion of the hoverflies. And now Britain is being warned that a plague of wasps could be on the way.
Scientists say changing farming methods have led to an explosion in the insect's numbers and it could be only a matter of time before they descend en masse.
Wasp plagues have not been seen for a quarter of a century.
They used to be fairly common - happening about every seven years - but from 1980 onwards scientists recorded a huge drop in numbers. Agricultural methods-that involved stripping fields of hedgerows and heavy use of pesticides were thought ...