The Ministry of Environment on Monday said it plans to create a specialized technology center to research insects such as cockroaches, termites and mosquitoes in response to an expected increase in threats posed by environmental pests.
Urbanization, globalization, climate change and international travel have increased the number of invasive environmental pests and disease-carrying insects, leading to a greater risk of diseases such as dengue fever, Chemicals Administration Hazard Control Division Director Ni Ping-hsiung (倪炳雄) said.
In response, the agency plans to establish a specialized technology center for environmental pest prevention to research pests to help Taiwan develop more comprehensive protections and prepare for an increase in pest-related issues, he said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Climate change has a direct effect on the spread and reproduction of pests, not only increasing their numbers, but changing their behavioral patterns and ecological habits, National Chung Hsing University Department of Entomology professor Li Hou-feng (李後鋒) said.
If temperatures continue to rise, yellow fever mosquitoes would head north, while the economic impact of termite infestations would increase, he said.
The number of domestic disease-prevention pest control businesses has increased fivefold in the past 20 years and environmental pesticide vendors have tripled in the past five years, Ni said.
The center would target insects whose numbers are increasing and newly emerged species, including environmental pests such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, termites and fleas, along with disease-carrying insects such as yellow fever mosquitoes, Asian tiger mosquitoes, black cocoa ants and lychee giant stink bugs, he added.
It would study pest breeding habits, test the efficiency of pesticides, train research personnel and carry out research and development of pest control techniques, pesticide management and pest identification, he said.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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