Anyang City Takes Proactive Approach with 'Eco-Friendly Pest Control' to Prepare for Love Bug Outbreak

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Yu Je-seong] Anyang City announced on the 23rd that it is taking proactive measures with eco-friendly pest control in response to the recent mass outbreak of love bugs (hairy flies with red backs) concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The city sprayed eco-friendly microbial control agents (BTI—Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) over approximately 6,000 square meters in the Gwanak Mountain area, a major predicted occurrence site for love bugs, in early this month to reduce individual populations at the larval stage. BTI is a type of bacterium that naturally exists in soil and is a microbial insecticide used to selectively eliminate larvae of mosquitoes and midges that inhabit water.

Additionally, the city installed a total of 60 insect traps (30 in Manan-gu and 30 in Dongan-gu) around hiking trails on Gwanak Mountain, Suri Mountain, and Waryong Mountain, as well as in parks near forested areas. The traps are scheduled to operate from mid-June through the end of July.

Meanwhile, to reduce citizen inconvenience from love bug outbreaks, the city is providing guidance on daily coping measures including △minimizing nighttime lighting △checking window screens and sealing gaps under doors △wearing dark-colored clothing when going outside.

Kim Gwi-bae, head of the city's Environmental Division, stated, "While love bugs are not harmful pests, mass outbreaks during specific periods can cause inconvenience to citizens," and added, "We will actively respond using eco-friendly methods from the early stages of occurrence and strengthen monitoring of major occurrence areas to minimize citizen inconvenience."