China: Keeping a Plague of Locusts Out of Beijing

More than 33,000 exterminators have been sent to battle a locust infestation in northern China in hopes of preventing a potentially disastrous migration to Beijing during the Summer Olympics next month, the news agency Xinhua reported. The insects routinely plague the Inner Mongolia region and have damaged acres of grassland in three areas near Beijing, but it was not clear whether there was a serious threat to the capital itself. The plan involves using about 200 tons of pesticides, 100,000 sprayers and four airplanes, Xinhua reported.

Source: The Associated Press