CREEPY caterpillars Liberia / Guinea

The Achaea catocaloides moth is seen in this undated handout picture released February 4, 2009. REUTERS/International Institute for Tropical Agriculture courtesy of Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium/Handout

The picture shows a crop after it has been destroyed by the "Achaea catocaloides" caterpillar in the village of Peleler [sic], Bong County, February 3, 2009. REUTERS/Gleena Gordon

For weeks folks thought these maurding creatures were army worms, a moth caterpillar, but they were identified this week as the larvae of another kind of moth, the Achaea catocaloides, actually common and ubiquitous in West Africa.

By the millions these caterpillars are covering everything and have retreated into cocoons, or hatched already into moths ready to spawn a new generation of grubs are on the move. The insects can travel up to 60 miles (100 km) a day, and have already crossed the border to Guinea, an agriculturally rich country and the source of many of Liberia's food imports.

One of the definative news articles on the topic can be found here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090205-liberia-killer-caterpillars.html

I may never understand the commodities markets.... Cocoa futures just fell for the third time in four sessions in New York!


EarlyBird