Serious crop pest “fall armyworm” detected for the first time in Taiwan

Agriculture officials confirmed today that caterpillars found on a farm in Miaoli County two days ago have been positively identified as fall armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive species that has devastated crops across north America, Africa, the middle east, and continental Asia in recent years. The suspect larvae were found on a corn crop at the Flying Cow Ranch in Tongxiao Township, June 8, and were sent to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine for analysis.

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