Home Economics College closed for insects
Home Economics College authorities have extended vacation of the college until April 26 to eliminate bug, a special insects which spread the campus in last few days.
Officially named as Mealybug alias Giant Mealybug or Mango Mealybug, has swarmed all over the campus in the capital creating panic among the students and teachers.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid visited the campus on Thursday and gave instructions to the authorities concerned to control the infestation.
Following Nahid’s visit, the college authorities have extended the vacation.
The college has been closed for summer vacation since April 3 and was due to open on Sunday principal of the college Iffat Ara Nargis told The Daily Star adding that the authorities concerned advised them to vacate the college fully before they start elimination of the insects.
Ministries of Agriculture, Health and Education and experts from Dhaka University, Bangladesh Agricultural University and Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University will work on curbing the insect, she said.
“We are fearful seeing the hundreds of thousands of bugs altogether on the campus. We can’t sit in the departments,” she said.
Students said for the last few days, hundreds of thousands of bugs have scrolled down to the drains and soils from the trees creating further panic.
Eva Sultana, a final year student of Home Management and Housing Department, said the bugs have even spread to their dormitories forcing the students to keep the windows and doors shut all the time and use mosquito net in the night.
Already experts from the three universities have repeatedly visited the campus.
Dr Md Razzab Ali, professor at the Department of Entomology of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University said the bug is very harmful for crop and fruit productions.
But it is not harmful for human being, he said adding, “We are doing research on the bug for few years.”
On eliminating the bugs Dr Razzab said it is very tough to kill the adult bugs as it remain alive for two to three days even under water.
He said the bugs scroll down the trees from April to May to lay eggs and diapauses under the soil during May to December before scrolling up to the plants and this is the best time to kill the insects by pouring pesticides.
Prof Razzab said the bug might come to Bangladesh through smuggling of plants from African countries or large military convoys.
He suggested that the government seriously consider curbing the bug before it spreads all over the country and harm crop production.
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