Defence Force uses insect radar to fight locusts
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The Australian Defence Force Academy has joined the fight to control locusts.
It is lending its expertise and knowledge of radar technology to help detect and monitor the pest.
Authorities are warning of a plague this spring and summer, with widespread hatchings in New South Wales and northern Victoria.
The Australian Plague Locust Commission's Director, Chris Adriaansen, said the specially-built insect radars can detect insects the size of locusts up to 150 kilometres away.
"The other thing we're able to pick up is not only where they are, but also which directions they are coming from and which directions they are moving to," he said.
"That's fairly important in terms of looking at where they might be moving to to set up breeding populations and where we might have further pressure from hatching locusts as a result of their breeding."
