Is the flat-bellied wasp ineffective? Changhua subsidized pesticides against litchi stink weevil, Taichung Agriculture Bureau: the three-pronged approach works well.

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Litchi stink bugs are still rampant in all parts of Taiwan this year. There has been an outbreak of litchi stink bugs in Changhua area. It is believed that the release of natural enemies, flat-bellied wasps, is not effective. In order to avoid affecting the harvest of litchi and longan, the county government should fully subsidize chemical control. However, agricultural units in Taichung City, which are both producing areas of litchi and longan, believe that the prevention and control of litchi stink weevil requires a combination of biological, physical and chemical control, and the failure of flat-bellied wasps should not be blamed for problems.

Farmers collect litchi stink bugs egg slices to be handed in (photo courtesy of / Zhang Danfeng)

Wufeng Farmers: release 50,000 flat-bellied wasps, reduce 70% of litchi stink bugs

Wufeng farmer Zhang Danfeng in Taichung followed the prevention and control calendar this year, and with the help of the township government office, 50,000 flat-bellied wasps were released, and the number of litchi stink bugs decreased by about 70%. "but you have to be very diligent, and you should remove the eggs at any time as long as you see the leaves."

"Biological control can't be the same as pesticides, killing every last one," says Zhang Danfeng. The management of farmers themselves is more important. "We can't completely leave the responsibility to the wasps."

Litchi stink bugs are even more rampant this year than last year. Zhang Danfeng observed fruit trees that were poorly managed. "there are about thousands of them in a tree, and there are more red insects than green longan young fruits." When she and her husband were thinning previously, they looked at the cut branches and removed the leaves that laid eggs. Because branches and leaves cannot be burned in mountainous areas, and they can be used as organic matter, farmers usually pile them on top of trees, but in this way, the eggs of litchi stink bugs will climb directly up the tree after hatching.

Zhang Danfeng is also a farmer who doesn't like spraying, saying bluntly that she misses the days when she only sprayed medicine once a year. However, at least once before and after flowering, coupled with hard cleaning management, the density of litchi stink bugs is finally suppressed to an acceptable level. But she was worried that in the abandoned orchard next door, once the larvae grew into adults, they would fly to their own garden.

The lack of management of the abandoned garden is a headache

Wufeng District Public Office built a flat-bellied wasp breeding center, including the cost of technical transfer, about 2 million yuan. Liu Shihong said that this is the first year, the need to buy equipment, next year costs can be even lower. On the other hand, the practice of purchasing egg slices does not require much funds, so it is worth adopting by local units with insufficient funds.

Zhang Danfeng points out that the most important thing for litchi stink bugs is early prevention and control, that is, around the Lunar New year, when it has just overwintered and has not yet laid eggs, it is at its weakest. At this time, medication is used to control the adults to a minimum. Otherwise, if the control is neglected at the beginning, the density of litchi stink bugs will be higher, and it will be difficult to clean up later.

On the whole, litchi stink bugs are still arrogant this year, but Taichung City's multi-pronged approach plus collective control strategy has achieved results, and the headache is still the lack of management of the abandoned garden. "the waste ploughing garden is a hot spot for litchi stink bugs, and this is the most thorny problem," says Liu Shihong.

In order to effectively combat litchi stink bugs, early control and joint control is very important, and in addition to the use of pesticides, it is also necessary to strengthen the independent management of farmers and increase the breeding of flat-bellied wasps in order to besiege in many ways and take into account the ecological balance between bees and other organisms.

To eliminate litchi stink bugs, I can't do without you! Acetic acid plus disinfestation net and flat-bellied wasp set out.

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