Chinese citizens urged to ‘eat a bug and save a tree’ as summer cicada glut threatens greenery
An official is hoping to start a trend for chomping on chirpy insects in a bid to stop them devastating willow and cherry blossom trees
Eat a bug and save a tree: that is the message being sent to the residents of an east China city where an annual explosion in cicada numbers is having a devastating effect on the local greenery.
The earnest appeal was made by Sun Xiaoping, the official in charge of green spaces in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, according to a report by local newspaper Dushi Kuaibao.
Cicadas reproduce in huge numbers in July and August, with the average female producing about 100 eggs at a time. When the young insects emerge they gorge on the sap of the willow and cherry blossom trees they call home.
Sun said the annual feast was killing local trees, and the best way to deal with the problem was for the local community to turn the tables on the creepy-crawlies and do some eating of their own.
“Every summer, we ask our staff to help catch the cicadas,” she said. “But we can’t keep up. So, foodies, come and help us.”