![The summit of Gyeyangsan in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, is blanketed with love bugs (붉은등우단털파리). [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/22/news-p.v1.20260622.0b2faf9e2a7e46a598222674be143808_P1.jpg)
"The summer nuisance has arrived in my neighborhood too."
Love bugs — known in Korean as "붉은등우단털파리" — have returned to the greater Seoul area this year, swarming in numbers large enough to unsettle residents despite being classified as a beneficial insect. The surge has prompted the creation of a real-time "love bug map" that lets users track sighting locations as they are reported.
Posts reporting love bug sightings from across the metropolitan area flooded social media and online communities Monday.
As the insects spread more aggressively, a website called the "love bug sighting map" appeared online. The service lets users select a specific area and view current infestation data along with real-time tallies for that location.
According to the National Institute of Forest Science, adult love bugs are most active from June 15 through June 29, with populations expected to peak around June 24.
Despite their unsettling appearance, love bugs do not bite or transmit disease, and they are classified as beneficial insects because they break down fallen leaves and organic matter, enriching the soil. Even so, many residents find them deeply off-putting — the insects fly in mating pairs and tend to appear in massive swarms.
Experts advise against indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides to drive them away, recommending a water-filled spray bottle instead. Wetting the insects' wings strips them of their ability to fly, making it effective to spray them and then sweep them up with a broom.
When spending time outdoors, wearing dark-colored clothing rather than bright hues — which attract love bugs — can also help reduce contact with the insects.
choigo@heraldcorp.com
