Outbreaks of beetles destroy crops

Nearly a month ago, in Binh Phuoc, a species of beetle suddenly broke out, destroying crops, upsetting people’s lives …
Attack both the orchard and the house

Along Highway 14 to the inter-commune roads of Hon Quan district (Binh Phuoc) these days, we can easily see cashew orchards, mango, bare leaves because of beetles (people also call are beetles) harmful. Locals said, beetles appeared here nearly ten years. However, the previous years were not significant. Close-up of a beetle that damages plants in Binh Phuoc. Photo: TT. This year, for some reason they appear quite dense. Currently, people are very worried because the leaves of the plants have been eaten up, resulting in loss of photosynthesis, the plants are depleted, output has decreased, or even died, while not knowing how to effectively prevent and treat. Recognizing the fact that at some mango orchards in Dong No commune (Hon Quan district), drizzling weather for many days is a favorable environment for beetles to multiply and develop. In some orchards, there has been a phenomenon of beetles biting leaves, limb branches, and even many gardens leaving only young fruit hanging. Growers have bought pesticides to spray but have not been able to prevent the onslaught of beetles. Ms. Pham Thi Huyen Trang in Dong Tan hamlet, Dong No commune has 7 hectares of mangoes at harvest age, but in the past few days, beetles have caused nearly one third of the mango area to be destroyed and there is no sign. stop. With the method of spinning the lights, every day she catches tens of thousands of children. However, this method does not appear to be effective due to the large number of bugs. “Now the beetle has eaten all the young leaves of the mango tree. If not, in a few weeks, all the leaves of the mango tree will be eaten up. With this situation, mango trees will inevitably be depleted, the next year’s crop will decrease yield “, Ms. Trang worried. Similarly, nearly 1 hectare of mango and cashew of Nguyen Huu Cong’s family nearby were also gnawed clean by beetles. Mr. Cong said that when he discovered beetles, his family bought pesticides to spray, but only a few days later they reappeared. Many orchards were bitten by beetles, leaving only their branches. Photo: TT. “After more than a month of being eaten all the leaves, the trees are sprouting again, but the spreading bugs continue to attack. With this situation, surely the trees will be depleted, the next season’s yield will drop sharply, some trees. We hope the authorities will consider the reality and take measures to support farmers to prevent this insect “, Mr. Nguyen Huu Cong suggested. Not only harming plants, beetles also upset the daily life of people. Beetles are mainly active at night, only need to see the light that they come in, making people here not eat and sleep. Many households, in order to limit bugs from entering the house, people have to close their doors and turn on the power in the yard and then “entrench” in the house. Mrs. Ho Thi Dai from Hamlet 3, Dong No Commune, Hon Quan District shouted to heaven: “My house is next to the cashew garden, so it was affected a lot. Although the house was closed at night, beetles still entered through the places. When they fall onto the floor, bugs release a red substance that looks like thin blood. At night they crash into the roof of the roof, making a noise that causes sleeplessness. Need a radical solution Concerning this issue, Mr. Tran Hai Ha, Head of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hon Quan district, said that the unit has grasped that beetles attack and damage plants in the area. “There are many communes in the district that are attacked by this beetle. We are giving statisticians the area and extent of the damage of the households,” said Mr. Ha. Not only cashew trees, many mango orchards were also attacked by beetles, leaving only the fruit and branches. Photo: TT. According to Mr. Ha, 2 weeks ago, the district Department of Agriculture and Rural Development worked with the District Agricultural Service Center to give directions to deal with this problem. Mr. Ha said that these bugs are difficult to destroy, not as easy to spray as common insects. Currently, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is waiting for the Center to come up with solutions to help people prevent this species of bugs. Regarding measures to control this beetle, Dr. Nguyen Van Bac, working at the Bu Dop District Agricultural Extension Center (Binh Phuoc), said: In the world there are 200 types of beetles, rarely seen for leaf-eating beetles. described in national documents. Most likely, this beetle belongs to the type of beetle that eats leaves of mango (Chafer beetles), scientifically known as Apogonia sp, belongs to the family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera. Harm mainly on trees of industrial trees and fruit trees such as palm, coconut, cashew, mango … According to documents, leaf-eating beetle eggs are laid in blocks, near the base, consisting of many eggs, each egg is wrapped in a hard layer of soil. Eggs are 1.0 – 1.3 mm long, white, bulging and round later. The incubation period is about 9 days. The newly hatched larvae are about 3 mm long and reach 15 mm before pupating about 10-11 weeks later. Lungs live in the soil, eating the roots of a variety of crops, weeds and decomposing organic matter. The larval stage is about 72 days long; pupae 2 – 3 days; pupae: 7 – 10 days; life cycle is about 3 months. At first time the city is brown, then it turns black. A beetle destroys things. Photo: TT. In the Southeast in general, Binh Phuoc in particular, bugs often outbreak and cause damage at the beginning of the rainy season (April – May). After dancing, bugs eat leaves, young branches of wild plants and plants. They mainly feed at night, and during the day they live hidden under the topsoil. For prevention and treatment, Dr. Nguyen Van Bac recommends that there are 3 methods: manual measures, which can use light traps at the same time in areas where many harmful beetles appear. Chemical measures, using active insecticides Permethrin, profennophos to spray in the evening. Biological measures, using bacillus thuringiensiss (Tricho-BT), Metarhizium anisopliae (green fungus) to spray on plants and in the soil to kill eggs and young offspring before becoming larvae. Currently, beetles continue to cause harm on many cultivated areas in Hon Quan district and are at risk of spreading to a large extent in neighboring areas. The most effective is the light trap The Department of Plant Protection said: Through working with the Agricultural Service Center of Binh Phuoc Province and the Agricultural Service Center of Hon Quan District (Binh Phuoc), it was known that this beetle appeared in recent years, usually arising from the beginning of the rainy season (April), extending to the middle or the end of May will decrease (actually, by May 10, 2021, it has decreased compared to the previous month). Many farmers in Binh Phuoc worry because beetles continue to damage crops and upset their daily lives. Photo: TT. Adult beetles are nocturnal, eat all kinds of leaves (cashew, mango, rubber …) and have a strong tendency to light. Therefore, the safest and most effective measure at present is to use light traps (high capacity will attract more power), underneath put a water basin with a layer of active petroleum scum, and beetles plunge into the falling lights. water pots, oil scum will seal the breathing holes on the two sides of the beetle stomach, causing rapid death. On May 10, 2021, the Plant Protection Department sent a mission led by Mr. Do Van Van, Director of the Southern Regional Plant Protection Center (under the Department of Plant Protection) to Binh Phuoc to understand the situation, take samples of beetles and send them. appraise to know scientific names, from which to grasp habits, biological characteristics, host plants to determine the most suitable and effective control measures. The Department of Plant Protection also confirmed that this beetle has appeared in Vietnam for a long time, not the main pest on crops in Vietnam. In recent times, a number of new species have arisen, such as the “black bean” beetle, the coffee beetle in Kon Tum, and the forest leaf-eating worm in the city. Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai … They are pests on forest trees, but when their numbers break out, they spread to harm crops or affect people’s lives, but not harm (such as “black beans”). Also according to the Department of Plant Protection, in 2018, a similar species of beetle also appeared harmful to coffee young leaves during the basic construction phase in Dac Ma commune, Dac Ha district, Kon Tum province, but with a smaller size. The result of identification is species Maladera castanea, family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera. The Central Center for Plant Protection (under the Department of Plant Protection) has cooperated with Kon Tum Plantation and Plant Protection Department to guide farmers to apply the method of attracting light traps to kill beetles and protect coffee trees in recent years. ..