Beet Webworms Hit N. China ProvinceInsects are devastating farms in North China's Hebei Province, threatening the growth of agricultural crops, grassland and forests.Officials at the Provincial Agricultural Department said in Shijiazhuang that beet webworms have devastated Zhangjiakou, Chengde, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan and other areas in Hebei since May. The insects pose serious threats to the growth of maize, potato and vegetables, officials said. The beet webworms have damaged 8.5 million mu (about 567,000 hectares) of farmland, grassland and forests, including 2.5 million mu which was seriously affected. Some farmland will have no yields this year. Since May, it has rained several times in Zhangjiakou and Chengde. The rains and moderate temperature have provided an ideal breeding ground for insects. In seriously affected areas, a square meter of land has as many as 1,000 beet webworms. In Wanquan and Huaian counties, beet webworms, locusts and cabbage moths destroyed grassland and farmland, turning thousands of hectares of maize and potato into barren fields. The provincial government has galvanized people and allocated money to fight beet webworms, and is doing all it can to prevent the further spread of the insects. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |