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| Stick insects on a bench on a mountain in western Seoul/ Courtesy of SBS |
By Kim Se-jeong
Korea is experiencing an insect population boom, which is in part an effect of climate change, environment experts said Wednesday.
A mountain area in Eunpyeong District, western Seoul, has been hit with hordes of stick insects; a species found in abundance in tropical and subtropical climates. The huge number of green and brown insects can be seen over the entire mountain area.
While local volunteers and officials from the local government have come together to solve the problem, news of the growing number of insects has concerned many local hikers who are "bug phobic."
Insect researcher Kim Tae-woo from the National Institute of Biological Resources said stick insects were not seen here until the 1990s. In 2014, a similar infestation was reported in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province but this is the first case in Seoul.
However, the gypsy moth problem seems bigger.
The Gangwon and North Chungcheong provinces, and Seoul are currently experiencing a massive number of gypsy moths whose eggs and larvae can be found in trees, small bushes and power poles. Many residents in North Chungcheong said they have found caterpillars in residential buildings, vehicles and other nearby structures.
The Mount Bukhan National Park Service in Seoul has installed nets close to trails near the Jeongneung area to keep the caterpillars away from hikers. On Wednesday, the park service said the insect population decreased a lot after their efforts.
Contact with gypsy moths can have detrimental health effects on people. The tiny hairs on their wings are known to carry toxic substances that can cause skin allergies. No injury has been reported related to this year's infestation, but farmers claim the moths are reducing their crop yields. The Korea Forestry Service announced more than 6,000 hectares of land across Korea have been affected by the moths.
"Korea is a traditional habitat for gypsy moths. The problem is an exponential increase in its population," Kim said. "We think the increase was due to breeding between the moths and an invasive alien species which usually arrive in Korea via planes and ships ― like hitchhikers. They would die off if the climate didn't suit them," he added.
Kim noted that climate change was to blame for the exploding number of insects.
National Institute of Ecology senior researcher Kim Dong-eon also echoed this view.
"I think the warming climate played a big part in what has happened recently. Insects are heavily affected by temperature and precipitation. Last winter was very warm and that is expected to have a big impact on the lifecycle of those insects. And as the climate changes, we will see such events occurring more often."
According to the Korea Meteorological Agency, last winter's average temperature was 3.1 Celsius, breaking the record for the highest winter temperature since 1973.
Rising temperatures are a global trend and the current international goal is to keep the rise below 2 degrees by 2050. However, it is said Korea will see a bigger increase ― more than 3 degrees ― during the same time period, given statistics on the temperature hike here over the last 100 years.
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