- LONDON, Aug 22 - Swarms of
giant grasshoppers could invade Britain from continental Europe and devour
crops and gardens across the country, a scientist said on Sunday.
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- The "superhoppers", up to 12 cm (nearly five
inches) long and eight times as hungry as most British grasshoppers, are
usually found in Spain and France but could spread thanks to global warming,
entomologist Peter McEwen said in a statement.
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- "The recent hot weather in the UK will only serve
to encourage the invasion," said McEwen, research director of Insect
Investigations, owned by Cardiff University's School of Biosciences.
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- The spread of the insecticide-resistant bug could be
aided by increased cross-border travel between Britain and the continent
by car, rail and air, he said.
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- The grasshoppers have not caused widespread damage elsewhere
in Europe, but McEwen told Reuters that the impact of insects outside their
natural habitat was unpredictable.
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