Directly hit the locust suppression battle in Jiangcheng, Yunnan: the yellow ridged bamboo locusts were gradually eliminated

Directly hit the "resistance war" against locusts in Jiangcheng, Yunnan

　　China News Service, Pu'er, Yunnan, July 31st, title: Direct attack on the "resistance war" against locusts in Jiangcheng, Yunnan

　　Author Miao Chao Dao Zhi Nan

　　Since March this year, desert locusts have spread from the remote African continent to East Asia. Many countries have suffered the most severe locust plague in decades, but this wave of desert locusts has not invaded China. At the end of June, a pest called the "Yellow-ridged bamboo locust" migrated from China's southwest border into the country, forming a gradual spread.

　　A reporter from China News Agency visited China on July 31, the first stop of the yellow-spine bamboo locust invading China-the Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Jiangcheng, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, where a locust suppression and annihilation battle is ongoing.

　　“It’s the highest in mid-July. After 16:00 every day, the black locust swarms begin to migrate and fly over from Laos.” Zhu Weihong is a forest ranger at the Niuluo River Nature Reserve in Jiangcheng County. The sound is like a roar of an engine, making people creepy."

　　Since June 28, the Yellow-ridged bamboo locusts have been found to migrate in Jiangcheng County and Mengla County, which borders Laos, and the number, frequency and scope of the migration have been increasing.

　　Yellow ridge bamboo locust, also known as bamboo locust, is one of the main pests of bamboo-producing areas in China, and it is distributed in most provinces south of the Yangtze River. The 23 counties in 5 provinces, including Phongsali, Laos, bordering Yunnan Province, are also common areas for bamboo locusts.

　　Bai Yunhua, deputy head of the comprehensive group of the Office of the Leading Group for the Prevention and Control of Major Pests in Jiangcheng County, said that a small number of bamboo locusts were found to have moved from Laos into Jiangcheng County in 2018 and 2019. "This year, there may be more bamboo locusts in Phongsali Province, Laos. The past years have been severe, and large numbers of locust swarms have continued to move into Jiangcheng."

　　According to monitoring, bamboo locusts migrating to Jiangcheng from abroad can migrate more than 40 kilometers at a time, and the migration height can reach 200 to 500 meters.

　　"Jiangcheng's special location, topography, and airflow characteristics are conducive to the invasion of foreign pests." Bai Yunhua said that Jiangcheng County is located at the end of the north-south Hengduan Mountains and is mainly affected by the warm and humid airflow of the Indian Ocean and the warm and humid airflow of the Pacific. The terrain is mostly river valleys, so foreign pests such as bamboo locusts can carry air currents, migrate long distances along the river valleys, and quickly spread to surrounding areas.

　　At present, Ning'er County, Mojiang County, Simao District of Pu'er City around Jiangcheng County, Lvchun County of Honghe Prefecture, Jinghong City of Xishuangbanna Prefecture and other 3 prefectures, 7 counties and 28 townships have successively discovered bamboo locusts. As of July 28, a total of 143,400 acres of yellow ridged bamboo locusts occurred in Yunnan Province, of which 109,000 acres of forest land and 34,400 acres of agricultural land.

　　Bamboo locusts mainly harm bamboo and zongye reeds. The reporter saw in Jiangcheng County that bamboo locusts not only harm bamboo and zongye reeds, but also crops such as corn, rice and plantain.

　　After the bamboo locusts moved into the disaster, the whole county of Jiangcheng was engaged in prevention, control, blockade and annihilation battles. As of July 27, nearly 50,000 man-times have been invested, more than 10,000 unmanned aerial vehicles, electric sprayers, and vehicle-mounted fog cannons have been sprayed with more than 6,500 kg of pesticides, and the cumulative control area has reached 340,000 mu.

　　According to monitoring, Jiangcheng County did not find any large-scale migration of bamboo locusts from abroad for five consecutive days from July 26 to 30. The county is seizing the opportunity to clear the remaining stock of bamboo locusts.

　　August is the mating period of bamboo locusts. After mating, male bamboo locusts die quickly, and female bamboo locusts will die after they lay eggs. Bai Yunhua told reporters that the migration of bamboo locusts is not terrible, and it will be sooner or later to defeat them.

　　Jiangcheng County is located in southwestern China, bordering Laos and Vietnam. In 2019 and 2020, the county will be the first stop for the migration of grasshopper moths and yellow ridged bamboo locusts from abroad to China.

　　Grass moths and yellow-ridged bamboo locusts migrated and entered the country with air currents, quickly spread to the surrounding areas, and then affected the mainland. Jiangcheng County has become a natural corridor for foreign pests to invade China.

　　"Yunnan borders Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, with a border of 4,060 kilometers." Tse Sangzi, deputy director of the Yunnan Forestry and Grassland Pest Control and Quarantine Bureau, told reporters, "The adjacent Southeast Asia is the region with the most abundant species resources in the world. The temperature, humidity, and precipitation in this area are suitable for the rapid growth and reproduction of organisms, and foreign pests also like this environment."

　　Tse Sangzi believes that China needs to actively communicate and negotiate with Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and other countries, and carry out international cooperation such as information exchange and technical assistance to jointly prevent and control pests. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the professional team and capacity building of plant protection in the border areas of Yunnan Province, play the role of "bridgehead" to prevent the invasion of foreign pests, and ensure the safety of agricultural production. (Finish)