A NUMBER of Banyan trees in Futian and Nanshan districts have been found damaged by pests, causing leaves on the trees to fall in bunches, Chinese-language media reported recently.

Relevant government departments said they have taken measures to control the pests, such as spraying pesticides.

A sznews.com report yesterday quoted many residents as saying that a lot of banyan leaves had fallen along Zhuxiang No. 1 Road in Futian District. Some trees were even seen with branches left bare, and pests were seen crawling on them.

Trees along some other roads in Futian and Nanshan districts, like Nonglin Road, Furong Road and Qiaocheng East Road, were also found withering. Some residents worried that the pests might be poisonous and cause harm to pedestrians.

Earlier media reports said that trees on roads around the Coastal City shopping malls were also seen with bare branches after their leaves had fallen.

According to the Shenzhen Wildlife Protection Administration, the banyan trees were damaged by a type of pest called Phauda flammans, which is harmless to people. The damage caused by this kind of pest also occurred in Shenzhen two years ago.

The Shenzhen Wildlife Protection Administration said they had learned of the pest plague after a survey conducted in April. The administration gave the urban management bureaus in Futian and Nanshan districts some suggestions on what pesticides to use.

At present, the situation on Xinzhou Road has been improved, the sznews.com report said. But the overall situation in the two districts has gotten worse. The relevant official in charge in Nanshan District could not be reached regarding detailed measures.

(Zhang Lei)