Biological pest control with weaver ants
Control biológico de plagas con hormigas tejedoras
- Date
- 304 · confidence medium
- Place
- Canton (Guangzhou), Guangdong, China
- Credited to
- Citrus growers of southern China (Nanfang caomu zhuang, attributed to Ji Han)
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
Citrus growers bought nests of weaver ants (Oecophylla) and placed them in the trees, connected by bamboo canes, so they would devour pest insects. It is the first documented case of biological pest control.
The authenticity and date of the text attributed to Ji Han are debated; the practice is well documented in the Song period.
What it led to
- a practice continued in southern China into the 20th century
- historical model for modern biological control