How cicadas from China invaded Japan – on broomsticks
- A researcher has discovered that brooms imported from China – carrying cicada eggs in the wood – were not quarantined at ports
- This allowed the Meimuna opalifera species to gain a foothold in Japan, joining other invasive species such as snapping turtles and raccoons
There’s a new, invasive species of Chinese cicada in Japan – and researchers have confirmed it hitched a ride across borders on broomsticks.
When the brooms are left outside, the eggs are able to emerge and drop to the ground, where they burrow beneath the surface as larvae and, in the case of Meimuna opalifera, feed on the juice of bamboo roots, the Asahi newspaper reported.
While Japan’s domestic species of cicada do not feed on bamboo and there is no indication the insects from China are threatening to take over their habitats, there is concern as Meimuna opalifera are considered a pest in China and may cause damage to Japanese bamboo groves.
“The transfer of insects on goods is a serious problem because these species have evolved in areas where they have natural predators that keep a balance,” said Dr Koichi Goka, head of the Invasive Species Research Team at Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies.