As humans struggle with the new coronavirus
Countries around the world are facing another world problem - locust plague
On February 11, 2019, the United Nations food and agriculture organization issued a global alert
Hope the world is on high alert for the ongoing locust plague
To prevent a food crisis in the invaded country
Even a swarm of locusts can cause a food crisis
Don’t believe me. Desert locusts have the characteristics of strong flight ability and a large appetite
Considered one of the most destructive migratory pests in the world
A large swarm of locusts. It can fly 100 to 150 kilometers per day with the wind
A female locust can lay about 300 eggs
A 1 square kilometer swarm. A day’s food intake is equivalent to that of 35,000 people
Because of the destructive power
Desert locusts pose a major threat to the food security of victimized countries
This is especially true for poor and ecologically fragile areas
The locust plague has caused a state of emergency in several countries
If left unchecked, these countries will have no food to harvest
So far, the locust plague has affected 13 million people in East Africa
Food security is under threat
There could be 20 million people at risk of starvation in the future
And according to China science daily
The plague began in East Africa
The red sea has now been crossed into Europe and Asia
To Pakistan and India. China is a stone’s throw away
So how is China going to deal with this locust plague?
Don’t worry, our country came up with a solution ten years ago
Since 2010, numerous locusts have appeared on the grasslands of Hebei
Grasshoppers devoured more than 20 kilograms of grass per acre
The locust plague caused economic losses of up to 30 million yuan in Hebei province
Although locusts are a delicacy for Chinese people
But there are too many locusts
Researchers have come up with another way
Since 2011, the grasslands of Hebei province have suddenly been overrun by swarms of locusts
It is the animal we are most familiar with -- the chicken
After the study comparison
Experts have put a large number of chickens on the grassland
But the average chicken is weak and not aggressive
The result was not very good
The related personnel went to many places and finally adopted the north China firewood chicken
This kind of chicken leg has big thin feet, walking and running fast
It is the core of locust control, the north China firewood chicken will first breed 60 days
And then put it on the grassland to adapt to the wild environment
The chickens were also trained for a month
After 90 days, the north China firewood chicken will become a professional controlled pest control team
They also got a new name (prairie chicken)
According to statistics, a good grazing chicken can eat 60 locusts per day
At its peak, the grasslands are full of grazing chickens, tested for 15 days
The number of locusts in north China’s grasslands has plummeted from 80 percent to 20 percent
At the same time, these chickens also meet the requirements of the fence, many the market
Because locusts are rich in protein and nutrients
The meat is delicious and much more expensive than regular chicken
Locust plagues were also easily dealt with
Besides, in May 2000, a major locust plague also occurred in northern Xinjiang
The academy sent 30,000 ducks on board
Airlift to the Xinjiang disaster area
The duck eats twice a day, four or five o ‘clock in the morning
The ducks went out to eat locusts by themselves
After a few hours, he went to the nearby creek and gully to drink some water and rest
The ducks were out again at 7 p.m
He didn’t come back until after 9 p.m
when the sunset
A duck can eat more than 100 locusts at one sitting
Foreign media reported that: The ducks are too conscious to bother
They went out and came back in columns
Ducks followed one another in each team
It’s like a well-trained army. By the end of August
Xinjiang has at least one million mu of high-quality grassland
The carpet of locusts was wiped out by the ducks
The duck became the hero of Xinjiang’s anti - locust disaster relief
The foreign media also carried special reports on the issue
For other countries, locust swarms may be a disaster
For the smart Chinese
Locusts also brought considerable income to the people
When there was no plague of locusts, people also raised locusts
In Leling city, Shandong province
A young man born in the 1980s bred numerous east Asian migratory locusts
A greenhouse can house about 40,000 migratory locusts
It has over 1,200 greenhouses and over 50 million locusts
So far, the locusts have brought him more than 4 million yuan
How does this work? It turns out that the guy raised a lot of South American white prawns
The reeds in the water can kill the shrimp
Experts suggest breeding locusts to eat the reeds
But what about the locusts after eating the reeds?
The villagers’ common solution is to eat it
Fried locusts can be sold at restaurants for 28 yuan each
It also brought a considerable income to the villagers
In response to the locust plague, it is unclear whether the locusts will specifically bypass China
Because they come and go