All night hunting for flying shrimp in the sugarcane field

(Baonghean.vn) - The changing weather has caused locusts to breed the most in young sugarcane fields. Many people in Nghia Dan still walk dozens of kilometers at night to hunt locusts. According to many people, each night of "walking" can bring in an income of 200,000 to 1 million VND.

Sugarcane grasshoppers are yellow, big and fat.

Nghia Dan has an area of ​​over 7,000 hectares of sugarcane and vast grasslands of TH Milk Food Company. This is a paradise for locusts, especially in the current weather, locusts develop and cause great damage. Instead of using nets to catch them because of the high sugarcane and milkweed, Nghia Dan locust hunters use their bare hands to "pick" locusts every night and earn millions.

Although it is dark to catch locusts, from 5 pm about 40 “hunters” have started to set off, covering a distance of 15km to 20km. When they reach the sugarcane field, sometimes when it is just getting dark, they have to wait.

Locust catching time is from 7pm to 11pm, this is the time when locusts gather in large numbers and are very easy to catch. People use a pin to shine and catch them by hand. After catching, the locusts are put in plastic cans or sacks to prevent them from flying out. Each night, a person can catch from 5kg to 10kg of locusts.

Sugarcane grasshoppers sleep soundly at night

In addition to catching them in sugarcane fields in the district, people also focus on catching them in the grass fields of TH Milk Company. According to many people, the locusts here are fat, yellow, big, and have short wings. After being caught and cleaned, the locusts are sold for 100,000 to 120,000 VND/kg. Each night, people can earn from 200,000 to more than 1 million VND/kg.

Ms. Dinh Thi Them - Nam Hoa hamlet, Nghia Long commune said: At 5 pm, people start riding motorbikes to the sugarcane and grass fields. Every day, there are about 40 - 50 people going to catch them. If they go in the right direction, they catch them very quickly. They are in the sugarcane and milkweed fields, so they cannot use a net, they can only catch them by hand. The locusts do not react much at night. Hunting locusts at night is not only hard but also dangerous because some people get so "drunk" on locusts that they forget the way home on foot, forget where they parked their motorbikes because they get lost in the sugarcane and grass fields, and have to wait until the next morning to return...

Every year, locusts usually return once, for many people in Nghia Dan who are "addicted" to hunting locusts, this is a lucky chance to earn money. Ms. Luong Thi Thu, one of the people with "experience" in hunting locusts, said: We still encourage each other to walk to exercise, earn money, and have food for the family. After a night of catching locusts, my limbs are exhausted, but I still have income, each night I earn from a few hundred thousand to 1 million VND.

Hunting locusts at night in sugarcane fields, people just need to start

Grasshoppers are in high demand like fresh shrimps. After being cleaned, they are sold for 120,000 VND/kg. Families buy them and roast them with lemon and chili, which is a favorite specialty of many people. However, not everyone knows how to prepare them. According to the experience of those who are “addicted” to grasshoppers, to eat them crispy and delicious, lemon, chili and herbs are indispensable.

After being caught, locusts are cleaned and processed into food or sold to people for 120,000 VND/kg.

Dinh Thuy