Demand for fireflies during Qixi threatens the species

Demand for fireflies during Qixi threatens the species. Photo: CCTV.com

Apart from flowers and chocolate, fireflies have become a trendy way to create romance on Lovers' Day in China. Hundreds of thousands of fireflies are being sold online. But where do all these glow worms come from?

The flickering light of the firefly sets off a spark of nostalgia and romance for many Chinese.

With the arrival of the Chinese Valentine's Day, Qixi, the firefly has become a hit on the country's biggest online shopping website, Taobao.

One vendor told reporter that tens of thousands of fireflies can be sold within 24 hours during the holiday period.

But where do all the lightning bugs come from?

"I don't know where other vendors get the bugs, but the ones I sell are bred artificially. And there's a daily limit," an online store owner said.

But another vendor has a different story.

"There are no captive-bred fireflies in China. Almost all are trapped in the wild. We pay people to catch the bugs. Fireflies bred in captivity cost no less than 10 yuan each, but right now the price in online stores is only 3 or 4 yuan. So how could they be bred artificially? Besides we haven't mastered the technique to breed the bugs in captivity," online store owner Mr. Zhang said.

According to a survey by Huazhong Agricultural University, the fireflies sold online are mainly shipped from a few regions in the eastern province of Jiangxi, southwestern province of Yunnan, and the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Unregulated hunting can damage the insect's natural habitat. And many of the fireflies do not survive the long-distance shipping.

"The adult glowworm has a lifespan of only 7 to 10 days. After the insect becomes an adult, its main purposes are courtship and mating. If we capture adult glowworms on a massive scale, this would have very serious consequence for the species, and result in a decline in the population quality the following year. If we sit back and watch the glowworm business continue, the insect will be driven into extinction," Professor Fu Xinhua from Huazhong Agricultural University said.

It normally takes three years for a firefly to mature from an egg to a larva. And only five to six out of 50 fireflies ordered online are still alive upon delivery to a buyer in Beijing.

So while humans may be feeling the love during Qixi, some netizens say the firefly is the cruelest gift.