Beware! The fall armyworm has already invaded seven counties in Hebei Province, and the entire province is mobilizing to combat it!

As of 9:00 a.m. on August 24, the fall armyworm has invaded Gaoyang District, Xingtang County, Zhengding County, Pingshan County, Gaocheng District, Yongnian District, and Wuji County in Hebei Province.
On August 22 at 10:00 a.m., the Hebei Provincial Plant Protection and Quarantine Station received a report from the Gaoyang County Plant Protection Station that in Shangjialiu Village of the county… Corn Two male adult fall armyworms were collected. The Provincial Plant Protection and Quarantine Station promptly dispatched an expert team—led by Professor Wang Qinying of Hebei Agricultural University and comprising plant protection technicians from the provincial, municipal, and county levels—to the site for on‑site investigation. Following a preliminary identification at the scene by the expert group and a remote verification by Researcher Jiang Yuying of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, both specimens were confirmed to be male fall armyworms. The collection likely occurred on the evening of August 21. The expert team conducted a survey of the surrounding area… Corn A survey of the fields revealed no egg masses or larval damage.
At 4:00 p.m. on the same day, in Beiyangtong Village, Longzhou Town, Xingtang County, at a site during the seedling stage... Corn Tian also collected one adult fall armyworm, and the Shijiazhuang Municipal Bureau of Agriculture promptly conducted an on-site verification, confirming it to be an adult fall armyworm.
At 8:00 p.m. on the same day, two adult fall armyworms were detected in Zhengding County.
In early August, the severe convective weather associated with Typhoon Hagupit accelerated the northward migration of the fall armyworm. By mid-August, adult fall armyworms had been detected in Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing; at present, there is a potential for fall armyworm incursions across all regions of Hebei Province.
Next, all localities must promptly mobilize technical personnel and farmers through various channels to conduct province-wide, comprehensive surveys, increase the frequency of monitoring, expand the survey coverage, and assign dedicated staff to daily monitor insect‑attracting activity at high‑altitude light traps and sex pheromone traps, with particular attention to late‑sown fields that have not yet tasselled. Corn Conduct targeted inspections, ensuring that no township is overlooked at the county level, no village at the township level, and no field at the village level, thereby achieving full coverage. Upon detection of the fall armyworm, report it immediately through all administrative levels; accelerate the implementation of the “Two Belts, One Line, One Hundred Sites” initiative to maximize its attract‑and‑kill effect, intercept and eliminate adult moths, effectively reduce egg deposition and larval populations, and mitigate damage caused by the pest. Make proactive preparations for prevention and control, promptly organize emergency response measures, and ensure that large‑scale migration or widespread, contiguous outbreaks are prevented, thus minimizing disaster losses.
Fall armyworm larvae damage detected in Pingshan County
All localities must further strengthen monitoring and census efforts.
Following the first detection of adult fall armyworms in Gaoyang, Xingtang, and Zhengding counties of Hebei Province on August 22, larval damage was reported in Pingshan County on August 23. The infested plots in Pingshan County were sown late—on July 21—with sweet waxy corn. Corn The field is currently in the jointing stage. According to the survey, the affected area totals 20 mu, with four localized infestation hotspots, each containing 2–4 damaged plants. A total of 16 larvae were detected, most of which are in the early instar stages; a few have not yet dispersed, with as many as seven larvae per plant. The largest larval instar observed was fourth‑instar.
It is currently spring. Corn Grain-filling stage and summer Corn During the tasseling and silk‑exuding stages, high temperatures and drought conditions in the latter part of the rainy season create highly favorable conditions for the outbreak and severe infestation of the fall armyworm, posing a significant threat to agricultural production and food security across the province. Agricultural and rural departments at all levels must treat fall armyworm prevention and control as a top priority—urgent, critical, and essential—promptly mobilizing resources and focusing on late‑sown crops. Corn On the ground, we will deploy to the front lines, assign responsibility for specific areas to designated personnel, and further strengthen monitoring, surveying, and control efforts for the fall armyworm. Upon detection, reports must be promptly submitted to the local agricultural and rural affairs authorities or the relevant plant protection and quarantine agencies. Upon receipt of such reports, plant protection institutions at or above the county level shall promptly conduct investigations and verifications or arrange for laboratory testing, while maintaining detailed records for future reference.

Source: Hebei Provincial Plant Protection and Quarantine Station Author: Hebei Provincial Plant Protection and Quarantine Station