Lawmaker pushes to curb red fire ants
14/3/2005 8:14
Prompt measures need to be taken to stop hazardous red fire ants from
making inroads into northern areas of the country, said a Chinese lawmaker
yesterday at the ongoing session of the National People's Congress.
Npc
deputy and scientist from the Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of
Sciences Zhang Zhongning proposed a thorough check in regions where the red fire
ant has been discovered.
The species originated in South America and found
its way to North America in the 1930s. Since the millennium, fire ants were
found in Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan Island. The pest eats plant roots,
stems and leaves. It can also sting humans and animals. Repeated stings from a
swarm can lead to chest pain, nausea and shock. In extremely rare cases red fire
ants can kill an individual.
Zhang said the insect causes huge damage to
cropland and electrical wires.
Fire ant mounds were spotted in some areas of
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and neighboring Guangdong Province in
January. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture listed the insect as one of 85
destructive pests that require quarantine checks for imported goods and one of
33 pests subjected for domestic quarantine.
The npc deputy suggested
quarantine control be tightened to prevent the insect from invading other
regions of the country. According to Zhang, the pests can survive in south,
east, central and southwestern regions, as well as some areas in the
north.
Examinations of nurseries and areas where the ants tend to breed are
going smoothly. Meanwhile all items and objects likely to hide the ants are
being checked meticulously before entering China, said the Ministry of
Agriculture in an emergency circular released earlier this year.
Zhang also
proposed accelerating the pace of enacting a law on imported destructive pests.
Last year, he made a similar proposal that drew attention from government
departments, researchers and the public.
Xinhua
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