WHILE bamboo grubs can destroy a crop of plants if left unchecked, they do have their good side. They taste delicious with wine, and farmers can make money selling them.

　　In such counties as Guangning, Huaji and Fengkai in western Guangdong, the mountain villagers are busy collecting bamboo grubs, which, at the end of the summer, feed off bamboo shoots.

　　When a farmer sees a bamboo shoot wither and turn yellow at the end, he knows that the shoot probably has grubs living inside of it. So he breaks open the shoot to expose the fat white grubs, which can grow to be about three centimeters long. The farmer then takes the grubs home to either cook or sell them.

　　Usually a farmer can sell a kilogram of grubs for more than 20 yuan. If you order the dish in a restaurant you'll probably pay about 76 yuan.

　　Bamboo grubs taste good after being cooked and are very nutritious. When eaten, they are said to beautify people's complexions and prevent wrinkles.

　　To prepare the grubs you must first cut open their abdomens and remove the black waste. Then you can fry them in edible oil. On a restaurant's menu, you can usually see dishes like fried bamboo grubs, stewed bamboo grubs and bamboo grubs in spiced salt.

　　Since bamboo grubs contain a lot of fat, you can cook them without oil, so long as you don't fry them.