An upsurge of oriental migratory locusts in north China and the
Yangtze River areas has spiraled into a plague that is devastating
crops.
The infestation has affected 970,000 hectares of farmland in 10
provinces and municipalities, according to the Ministry of
Agriculture.
Grasshoppers have attacked more than 13.3 million hectares of
grassland, half of it in Inner Mongolia.
Grasshoppers do not migrate and are less harmful than
locusts.
Plant protection departments have reportedly brought the
infestation under control on 482,000 hectares of farmland and more
resources are on the way, including insecticides, equipment and
manpower.
So far, the central government has spent 5 million yuan
(US$604,500) and has earmarked 50 million yuan (US$6 million)
more.
A plague of locusts is a large population present in at least
two major regions. Locusts are normally lone creatures, but when
their numbers boom they modify their behavior and group together.
Migratory locusts are more harmful than nonmigratory ones.
Hebei
Province, one of the spots most seriously hit, is being sprayed
with insecticide using planes as well as ground units to kill the
swarms.
To minimize environmental damage, the ministry tried to fight
the plague using biological methods.
In late May, 6.7 million hectares were set up as sample field in
which more environmentally friendly biopesticides have been
used.
Other environmentally sound alternatives, like improvements in
planting the plague area and taking the advantage of natural
enemies, were also used on 8 million hectares of sample areas.
Earlier, Xinhua News Agency reported that China’s first airport
for locust control started operation on June 17 in east China’s Shandong
Province.
In another development, the State Forestry Administration said
that forest pests are causing great losses to China, attacking 8.7
million hectares so far this year.
Economic losses are currently estimated at 100 billion yuan
(US$12 billion) and there is no end in sight.
The pest attack is more serious and diversified in south China
than in the north and northeast.
Growing foreign trade has brought with it a growing number of
alien invasive species. A warm and dry climate and the structure of
the forests, which have large proportions of young-trees, also help
the pests develop.
A pest that attacked south China’s Shankou Mangrove Reserve at
the end of May destroyed 66.7 hectares of in two weeks. Mangrove
expert Fan Hangqing said the destruction, near the city of
Fangchenggang on the Sino-Vietnam border, was caused by a type of
caterpillar.
He attributed the pest’s arrival to constantly expanding
offshore aquatic breeding.
Warning that such negative impacts are slow but cumulative, Fan
said the pest attack is a sign of a destroyed mangrove
ecosystem.
(China Daily June 24, 2004)