Ky Son ant wings - a once famous product

(Baonghean.vn) - Ant wings are actually the resinous product of red ants on the host tree trunk. The border district of Ky Son was once known as a place with hundreds of hectares of ants forests with high economic value. However, after the golden age, ants gradually disappeared without any way to develop again.

Raising red ants is a traditional occupation of many people in Ky Son district. By raising red ants on host trees such as pit nien, dau thieu, co khiet, co phen... to harvest resin, which is the liquid secreted by ants on the tree trunk.

This type of resin has many uses. In medicine, it has the ability to clear heat and detoxify. In industry, lac resin is used to make dyes, paints and plating products that require resistance to heat, acid and the effects of harsh climates. Products from lac are also used in the aviation industry to produce and manufacture aircraft and high-end electronics.

Red lac resin is also widely used in pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, etc. Therefore, lac resin is especially popular and in high demand in the market.

Mr. Cut Bun Ma (Noong De village, Nam Can, Ky Son) next to the pit nieng trees - home to red ants.

The years 1990-1991 were the golden age of Ky Son ant wings. At that time, many people had high income from this product.

The most abundant lac tree in Ky Son is in the communes of Keng Du, Huoi Tu, Pha Danh, Nam Can... There are households like Mr. Luong Phia Chan in Keo Luc 1 village (Pha Danh commune), Mr. Moong Pho My in Huoi Phuon 2 village (Keng Du)... who are considered "tycoons" of lac when they have harvests of tons of resin. At that time, many people escaped poverty, even became well-off thanks to this product.

Due to lack of seeds, Mr. Ma has now cut down more than 300 trees, and the rest are no longer cared for.

However, due to many events and objective reasons, while people's knowledge of raising red ants is very limited, indiscriminate deforestation has caused the source of red ants and the area of ​​host trees to shrink.

On the other hand, along with fluctuations in the consumer market, the red ant farming profession of ethnic minorities in Ky Son district has gradually faded away. Now, many people are extremely regretful that they cannot maintain this unique profession. Currently, 1kg of ant wings costs around 1.5 million VND.

The tree eyes are the attachment points for the ants to live and create resin.

We went to Mr. Cut Bun Ma's house in Noong De village, Nam Can commune. Mr. Bun Ma was once known as the "king" of ant wings in Nam Can area with more than 500 pit niem trees, the main tree used to feed ant wings.

Mr. Bun Ma lamented: “About ten years ago, my family planted more than 500 pit nieng trees on an area of ​​1 hectare of garden hills to collect resin. During that time, there were times when my family collected tons of resin from lac. But from 2002 until now, we have cut down nearly 300 trees, the main reason being the lack of seeds. In the past, every time we needed seeds, we would import them from Pha Danh and Keng Du, which was enough for the whole season. Now, those two communes no longer have seeds to import. And we don’t know how to propagate them. On the other hand, in some seasons, we released them but the ants didn’t land on the trees. Releasing lac is also a bit of a gamble, sometimes we release a lot of seeds but it’s not certain that the ants will survive and produce resin on those trees, the rate is only 50% to 60%. So now there are only more than 100 pit nieng trees scattered around the farm, but my family can only leave them like that because they are useless.”

Through research, it is known that many households in Nam Can are in the same situation as Mr. Cut Bun Ma's family.

A sapling grew from the stump of a cut tree.

Learning at Pha Danh commune - where the project to build a red ants breeding garden in Ky Son district has been implemented since mid-2013, Mr. Tran Quoc Dong - Secretary of the Party Committee of Pha Danh commune said that the goal is to build a nursery with a capacity of 2.5 - 3 tons of seedlings/year. However, in reality, the current product is much lower. In 11 months of this year, only 700 kg of products were collected. The seeds are only enough to supply the people in the commune, not enough to distribute to neighboring areas. As for the people outside the project, it is also difficult to develop the nursery area. In particular, after Mr. Luong Phia Chan - the "leader" of the ants breeding movement passed away, no one in Pha Danh commune knows how to breed anymore.

Lac plastic products. Internet source

It is known that currently in Ky Son district, there are over 150 hectares of red ant host trees in scattered form that are qualified for breeding and raising red ant wings. And each year, Ky Son district needs at least 10 tons of red ant wing branches.

However, the seed source to supply this area is not enough. This is a major obstacle in restoring this product.

More than ever, it is time for authorities at all levels, relevant agencies and sectors to have support policies to restore this unique product.

China