Nearly 2,500 hectares of pine forest in Nghi Loc are infected with caterpillars.

(Baonghean.vn) - Currently, Nghi Loc district (Nghe An) has 2,474 hectares of pine forest infected with caterpillars, with a common density of 10 - 40 caterpillars/tree, locally up to 400 - 700 caterpillars/tree; pine caterpillars are mainly at the age of 3 - 5, starting to cause strong damage.

According to the investigation results, Nghi Loc district currently has 2,474 hectares of pine forest infected with the second generation of caterpillars in 2017; the common worm density is 10 - 40 worms/tree. In particular, in some forest areas in sub-area 962 Nghi Van commune, sub-area 965 Nghi Lam commune, sub-area 964A, 964B Nghi Hung commune and sub-area 959 Nghi Yen commune, the pine caterpillar density is 100 - 150 worms/tree, locally up to 400 - 700 worms/tree and has caused forest canopy destruction. The pine caterpillars are mainly at the age of 3 to 5, starting to cause severe damage.

Workers of Nghi Loc Protective Forest Management Board spray to kill pine caterpillars. Photo: Nhat Tuan

Following the direction of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nghi Loc Protective Forest Management Board mobilized human resources to focus on spraying to prevent and control pine caterpillars on an area of ​​1,000 hectares of forest infected with caterpillars at a density of 100 - 150 caterpillars/tree or more. The unit used biological product VBT16,000IU/MG to spray according to the 4 correct principles: right time, right medicine, right dosage and right method.

Along with spraying biological products to prevent pests, Nghi Loc Protective Forest Management Board actively monitors and determines the time when pine caterpillars pupate and transform to organize light traps to kill adult caterpillars, reducing the density of pine caterpillars moving to generation III/2017.

Nhat Tuan