Confirmed Introduction of Chinese Pest Species Domestically, Continuous Farm Monitoring Required

Migratory pests such as leafhoppers and moths from China have been confirmed to have entered the country via westerly winds during spring. With damage from these pests already confirmed in China, the importance of active prevention and monitoring has increased. According to the Rural Development Administration, fall armyworm larvae were discovered on May 20th at a corn farm in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province. This comes approximately 7 weeks after an adult fall armyworm was found in Taean, South Chungcheong Province on April 2nd this year. Fall armyworms primarily fly in from China to the west coast of Korea, occurring in crops such as corn, rice, millet, oats, and wheat. Since a single female fall armyworm can lay around 700 eggs, there is a high possibility of a large-scale outbreak after hatching. Through the 'Korea-Asia Migratory Pest Monitoring Cooperation Project', the Rural Development Administration found that damage from tropical fall armyworms and fall armyworms in China ...