In early June, according to data from the Department of Plant Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total area affected by the yellow-spined bamboo locust has surged to over 600 hectares across many provinces.
This locust species has extended its reach to provinces like Dien Bien and Lao Cai, with the looming threat of further proliferation. In Cao Bang and Lang Son provinces, after ravaging bamboo, Bambusa nutans, and Schizostachyum aciculare foliage, this species is now infesting rice and corn fields, posing a significant threat to farmers' crops.
According to scientists, the yellow-spined bamboo locusts prefer to feed on bamboo and Bambusa nutans leaves. However, when their preferred food sources become scarce, they descend to feed on corn and rice leaves, causing significant damage to crop growth and productivity.
Tran Thi Thu from Thach An District, Cao Bang, said during the mornings and evenings, locusts swarm up from the fields onto the roads in Canh Tan and Minh Khai communes. Many cornfields are left with only bare stems.
Nong Thi Nga from Duc Thong Commune, Thach An District, reported that many rice fields in the area had been infested heavily with yellow-spined bamboo locusts, which were voraciously feeding on the leaves. Despite efforts to spray pesticides, locals have been unsuccessful in eradicating them. Some believe that the locust outbreak is a consequence of years of hunting and extermination of wild birds.
According to statistics from Cao Bang Province alone, the total area affected by locusts has exceeded 449 hectares, with a density on Bambusa nutans forests ranging from 600 to 1,000 locusts per square meter, with some areas reaching 7,000 to 8,000 locusts per square meter.
Therefore, on June 6, the People's Committee of Cao Bang Province decided to declare an epidemic of yellow-spined bamboo locusts causing damage to forests and crops in the districts of Nguyen Binh, Hoa An, and Thach An.
The People's Committee of Cao Bang Province instructed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People's Committees of Nguyen Binh, Hoa An, and Thach An districts to implement urgent measures to control the yellow-spined bamboo locusts. Technical staff have been deployed to provide guidance on control measures and to actively equip motorized pesticide sprayers to facilitate locust control efforts.
