Locust Infestation in Batangas, c. 1905 - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore

The start of the 20^th century was a traumatic one for Batangas. Not only were its inhabitants forced to live in concentration camps by the United States Army during the Philippine-American War, but in the aftermath of the war was also hit by droughts, a rinderpest (a cattle disease) epidemic and locust infestations.

Below, a photograph of a flight of locusts during one such infestation. The picture has been taken from a public domain document entitled “Census of the Philippine Islands Taken Under the Direction of the Philippine Commission in the Year 1903.” The document was published by the United States Bureau of the Census in 1905.

The photo was captioned “Flight of Locusts, Province of Batangas.” It has been processed using graphic editing software to improve quality and colorized courtesy of Algorithmia.

Photo of a flight of locusts in Batangas, c. 1905.

Notes and references:
Image extracted from “Census of the Philippine Islands Taken Under the Direction of the Philippine Commission in the Year 1903,” published 1905 by the United States Bureau of Census.