CNN
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South Korea has recently suffered another surge in love bugs.
However, romance is certainly not in the air for residents of Seoul and neighboring Incheon, who have been troubled by these nasty insects, as temperatures have risen due to climate change-induced climate expansion.
Dozens of government workers were sent to Yayang San, a mountain west of the capital on Friday, to manage the “very severe outbreak,” the country’s Environment Ministry said in a statement.
A social media video earlier this week shows the scenic hiking trail along the peak transformed into a bustling hallway of chaos.
The footage shows a hiker slamming a swarm of thumbnail-sized bugs, showing one person scooping out black-winged creatures and another man scooping thousands of small bodies off the trail.
In the YouTube video, a man gathered thousands of insects, took them home and turned them into burgers.
Scientifically known as the Precia Londi Force, the Lovebug gets nicknames from their mating behavior when they jump into each other while flying.
They are found in subtropical areas such as southeastern China, Taiwan and the Longzi Islands in Japan. It also occurs in parts of Central America and the southern United States, including Texas and Florida.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, it was first detected in South Korea in 2015 and is believed to have arrived from southern China. Since 2022, they have appeared in Seoul, particularly in port areas between June and July.
Experts say climate change and warming temperatures are driving Lovebugs northwards into areas such as Seoul and Incheon.
Global warming is a planetwide problem, but scientists have identified Seoul as a region where temperatures are rising at a faster pace than the rest of the world.
This is exacerbated by the effects of urban heat, where temperatures are much higher than nearby rural areas, as artificial structures absorb and retain more heat.
“We must remain vigilant throughout the summer as climate change is increasing ecological instability,” said Kim Theo, director of the Ministry of the Environment.
Love bugs do not communicate illnesses or stab humans. But there is an increasing number of complaints that they cling to car windows, homes, restaurants and subway train walls.
So far, authorities have advised local workers and residents to spray water instead of chemical pesticides or use sticky pads to fight herds.
Although the population is expanding in the northwest of South Korea, the potential spread remains unknown.
“Compared to the past two years, the number of love bugs has skyrocketed in the mountains last weekend,” Wang Hyun-jung from Gyang district said on Tuesday.
Regions with warm, humid climates can attract them and may be a favorable condition for survival and reproduction.
The Seoul Municipal Government considers Lovebugs “ecologically beneficial,” poses no health risks to humans and supports flower pollination as larvae convert plant material into organic components.
However, local media reports that complaints against the city have more than doubled, increasing from 4,418 last year to 9,296 last year, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
On Friday, the Minister of the Environment agreed to strengthen and invest in the latest post-outbreak response procedures, which have been described as “very serious.”
“We will closely monitor the situation and work with local governments from the early stages of the outbreak,” Kim said.
However, it is reportedly set up natural population control as birds such as sparrows and magpies learn to eat bugs and their numbers decrease.
