Incheon's Gyeyang-gu reports sharp drop in lovebug numbers after preemptive control campaign

The lovebug — known in Korean as the red-backed velvet fly — swarmed the Gyeyang Mountain area last year, causing widespread discomfort for residents and hikers. This year, the population has dropped sharply.

Gyeyang-gu in Incheon announced Friday that a preemptive, lifecycle-based control campaign targeting Gyeyang Mountain and Cheonma Mountain — the two main lovebug hotspots — had yielded a significant reduction in numbers compared to last year, with measures applied from the larval stage through peak adult activity.

The National Institute of Biological Resources had forecast this year's lovebug season to run from mid-June through early July, with activity peaking around late June.

Acting on that forecast, the district focused its administrative resources on prevention before the insects appeared.

In mid-May, before adults emerged, crews cleared fallen leaves accumulated along hiking trails to make the environment less hospitable to larvae.

Then, in late May, workers sprayed BTI — a biological pesticide — across a combined 15 hectares, covering 10 hectares on Gyeyang Mountain and 5 hectares on Cheonma Mountain, to reduce the population at the larval stage.

Once adults became active, the district installed roll traps along the full length of hiking trails and replaced them regularly. During periods of rapid population growth, water tankers were deployed for intensive spraying at the main outbreak sites, strengthening on-the-ground response.

A cumulative total of 535 personnel were mobilized for the campaign. Alongside this, 195 roll traps were set up across 19.5 kilometers of trails, and 52 water tankers sprayed a combined 203 metric tons of water.

The effort consumed 1,557 kilograms of BTI. Workers also deployed 58 insect-catching nets and four suction devices on site, bringing all available equipment to bear.

The district said the preemptive response had produced a noticeable decline in lovebug numbers at key locations including the summit of Gyeyang Mountain, and that residents and hikers had reported significantly less inconvenience as a result.