A poster promotes preemptive, eco-friendly pest control measures / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
After swarms of lovebugs blanketed parts of Seoul last summer, clinging to apartment walls, sidewalks and hikers across the capital, city officials are racing to stop the insects before they return in force.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it would begin preemptive, eco-friendly pest control measures targeting mass outbreaks of Plecia longiforceps, commonly known as lovebugs, and oriental mayflies ahead of the peak summer season.
The city said it would launch daily monitoring and coordinated response systems across all 25 districts while expanding field technologies, including large-scale insect traps, water-spraying drones and biological larvicide treatments.
Although the insects are not known to transmit infectious diseases, city officials said their sudden population surges have caused widespread public discomfort.
According to a 2025 survey of 1,000 Seoul residents conducted by the city, 90.7 percent of respondents said they felt disgust toward insect outbreaks, while 88.2 percent said they experienced psychological discomfort. Another 89.8 percent said stronger pest control measures were necessary.
Complaints tied to lovebugs have risen sharply in recent years, reaching 9,296 cases in 2024, compared with 4,418 in 2022, according to the city.
Officials said the city would focus on disrupting insects during their larval stages in April and May by clearing leaf litter and organic debris from parks and green spaces where larvae thrive.
This year, Seoul will also spray Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, or Bti, an eco-friendly microbial larvicide, across 12,600 square meters in areas of Eunpyeong District and Nowon District identified as high-risk breeding zones.
During peak adult emergence in June and July, the city plans to deploy additional light traps and introduce water-spraying drones in Gangseo and Yangcheon districts.
Source: Korea Times News
