All night hunting cicada pupae

At nearly 7 p.m., Mr. Cao Ngoc Oanh in Quy Hop village, Xuan Hoa commune, and a group of friends in the village prepared the necessary equipment to hunt for cicada pupae. In the dark of night, they crept into the acacia and old cajuput forests, looking for cicadas that were molting or had just finished molting, with milky bellies, light green in color, and a thin layer of powder on their bodies. To catch the best cicada, Mr. Oanh had to watch the time the cicada molted before it quickly developed its wings and flew away.

Mr. Cao Ngoc Oanh said: “After a long time lying dormant underground, the cicadas entering adulthood will crawl up the tree to molt at night. Therefore, hunting cicada pupae has become a rare pleasure that people here eagerly await every season. To hunt cicada pupae, you must prepare boots, a headlamp and a bucket to put the cicadas in. The lamp must be bright and your eyes must be sharp to see the cicada pupae. Cicadas often crawl up near dusk, but they do not come up when it is dawn.”

People use flashlights to catch cicada pupae.

Cicada larvae live underground, sucking tree sap from roots. In the summer, the larvae will crawl to the ground at night, crawling up the tree trunk to molt. This process only takes about 1-2 hours. In the quiet space, the "summer music" begins to rise with the chirping of cicadas, lively in a corner of the forest mixed with the laughter of hunters, as if to dispel the hardships after a day's work. Regardless of age, gender, as long as they are diligent and willing to hunt, on average, in one night, hunters can catch about 2-4 kg of cicada pupae.

According to Mr. Dinh Xuan Chien, Xuan Hoa commune, shared: “Cicadas often appear in acacia and cajuput growing areas; some people catch 2-3kg/night depending on the skill and experience of the catcher. On days when I catch a little, I usually save it for eating, but on days when I catch a lot, I bring it home to sell to restaurants, because this is a specialty. In general, every night when “hunting” for cicada pupae, many people can bring home millions of dong in income.”

In recent years, due to the increasing demand for cicada pupae from shops and restaurants, cicada pupae are purchased at very high prices. Currently, the market price ranges from 200,000-300,000 VND/kg depending on the type, especially at times cicada pupae can be sold for up to 450,000 VND/kg. Because of the high income from hunting this type of insect, more and more people are equipped with tools to hunt and catch cicadas. According to local people, cicada pupae are processed into many delicious rustic dishes such as: stir-fried, fried with chili fish sauce, rolled in flour and fried crispy.

In recent years, cicada pupae have brought income to many people in the area, contributing to improving the economy . Dishes made from cicada pupae, which are familiar to the villagers, have now become new to those who have only heard about them but have not had the opportunity to taste them.

Tien Manh

Source: https://baoquangbinh.vn/kinh-te/202505/trang-dem-san-nhong-ve-sau-2226210/