Son La: Dozens of "strange smoke columns" in rice fields

In recent days, a video has appeared on social media live streamed in a rice field near the Chieng Khuong Border Gate in Muong Hung Commune, Son La Province. The clip recorded dozens of swirling columns resembling columns of smoke rising from the rice field, about 1-2 meters high to tens of meters high. Many people initially thought it was a column of water, even comparing it to miniature tornadoes.

Observing carefully at the scene, the livestreamer confirmed that it was not steam or smoke but rather spiral columns of insects with thousands of them each, moving in circles like "dancing" from the field to the sky.

Mini tornadoes rose from the fields near Chieng Khuong border gate (Muong Hung commune, Son La province) on August 8.

The clip, after being posted, attracted more than 14,000 likes and thousands of shares. Mixed comments appeared densely, some Facebook accounts worried that this was a spiritual omen, a mysterious phenomenon or a sign of an epidemic, an earthquake or an impending tornado...

On the contrary, many people assert that this is a normal phenomenon in the countryside, especially in the morning or afternoon in the rice fields. Depending on the locality, this insect is considered a gnat, a gnat, an eye gnat or a moth, with a small shape like a butterfly or mosquito. However, some people believe that the image in the clip is rare and mosquitoes and small eye gnats usually just fly around on the rice stalks and do not form such a vortex.

Talking to SGGP reporters, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hien, Head of the Department of Insects and Nematodes of the Plant Protection Institute ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ), said that she personally has not had the opportunity to directly study the phenomenon, so she cannot draw a definitive conclusion. To accurately determine the insect species and the cause of the formation of the vortex columns, it is necessary to collect (catch) samples and send them to the laboratory for analysis and classification, avoiding subjective speculation through the clip. However, from the recorded cases, this phenomenon may be related to swarming behavior combined with favorable environmental factors. There are harmful insects but also beneficial ones. If they are harmful insects, their dense appearance will negatively impact production.

On the contrary, if a beneficial or neutral species suddenly appears, it could be a warning sign of environmental changes. It is also possible that this is a periodic phenomenon, belonging to the group of "wonderful mysteries" of the insect world. In the case of the field near the Chieng Khuong border gate, the number of insects is thicker than other places, which could be due to the special environmental conditions here, which are suitable for insects to concentrate.

Some insect and pest experts believe that the images in the clip may be the phenomenon of “swarming” (mating) of small mosquitoes or gnats. Males often gather in a fixed point, fly in a spiral to attract females, and are most active in the early morning or cool afternoon when the air is humid and the wind is light.

Some rice planthopper species also have similar behavior, and dense presence can be a warning sign of a potential pest outbreak.

Entomologists say this phenomenon depends on the reproductive cycle and weather conditions, so it does not appear every day. If it is a pest, it will only appear locally and is not a cause for concern.

ANGEL

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/son-la-hang-chuc-cot-khoi-la-tren-ruong-lua-post808156.html