Love is in the air in South Korea, but in the form of a pest

South Korea was recently hit by a new outbreak of love mosquitoes.

However, the novel is far from airing for the residents of Seoul and the neighboring city of Inheon, which has been in recent weeks as the increased temperatures caused by climate change drives its propagation.

On Friday, dozens of government workers were sent to Mount Gyeyangsan, west of the capital, to manage an “extremely serious outbreak,” the Ministry of Environment said in a statement.

Videos shared on social networks have shown trail trails of walking along the peak turned into tinnitus chaos corridors.

The images show walkers to shake their arms in the middle of insect swarms the size of a nail, with a person completely covered by the creatures of black wings and another to remove thousands of tiny carcasses from the track.

In one, a man collects thousands of these insects and takes them home to make hamburgers, which then appears to eat.

Where do the lovebugs come from?

Lovebugs, scientifically known as Longiforceps, are named after their mating behavior when they collide with each other during the flight.

They are found in subtropical regions, including Southeast China, Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. They also exist in parts of Central America and the southern United States, including Texas and Florida.

Detected for the first time in South Korea in 2015, it is believed to have arrived from southern China. Since 2022, they have been seen around Seoul, especially in port zones, between June and July, according to the Ministry of Environment.

Why are you spreading?

Experts claim that climate change and increased temperatures are boosting the displacement of mosquitoes from love to north, towards areas such as Seoul and Inteon.

Although global warming is a planetary scale problem, scientists have identified Seoul as an area where temperatures are rising faster than in other parts of the world.

This situation is aggravated by the city’s heat island effect, where temperatures are much higher than in nearby rural areas, due to heat absorption and retention by urban structures.

“With climate change increasing ecological instability, we should keep vigilantes all summer,” says Kim Tae-O, director of the Ministry of Environment.

Are they dangerous?

Love mosquitoes do not convey illness or spot humans. However, people complain about their presence in the windows of the car, in the walls of houses, restaurants and meter carriages.

To date, authorities advise local workers and residents to combat swarms with water jets or adhesive traps rather than chemical pesticides.

Where can they spread next?

They are expanding in the northwest of South Korea, although any additional spread remains uncertain.

“Compared to the last two years, the number of love mosquitoes has increased dramatically,” explains Wang Hyeon-Jeong, Gyeyang district.

Areas with a hot and humid climate will be able to attract mosquitoes, as these are favorable conditions for their survival and reproduction.

And now, South Korea?

The City Council of Seoul considers the mosquitoes of love as “ecologically beneficial”, as they do not pose risks to human health and help in the pollination of flowers, and their larvae converts plant matter into organic components.

However, they report them that complaints to the Seoul Metropolitan Chamber more than they duplicated from 4,418 to 2023 to 9,296 last year alone.

Recently, environmental ministers have agreed to reinforce and invest more in response procedures after the last outbreak, which they described as “extremely serious.”

“We will closely monitor the situation and work with local authorities from the first signs of any outbreak,” they say.

However, the natural control of these mosquitoes already seems to be ongoing, with birds such as sparrows and caught to learn to eat insects, which has caused a drop in their numbers.