"Actually, we get caterpillars every year," says Liu Fang-yuan, head guidance counselor at Nanliao Elementary School. Every July and August, during the summer holidays, the several large trees in the school grounds become a caterpillar kingdom. But following unusually warm weather last winter, this summer the grubs reported for duty earlier than usual and in larger numbers, causing allergic reactions among the children.
「其實每年都有蟲子」，新竹南寮國小輔導主任劉芳遠說，每年七、八月學生放暑假後，校園裡幾棵大樹就是毛毛蟲的天下，但去年冬天明顯的高溫，讓蟲兒提早報到，數量又比往年多，才造成學生過敏的「蟲害」。