‘Pentatomoidea’ Bugs Swarm Odisha Village; OUAT Team Takes Stock

Balasore: People of Jambeswar village under Sadar block in Odisha’s Balasore district are in a state of panic for the last few days as insects of black colour, identified as ‘Pentatomoidea’, are swarming the area in lakhs.

Many people have reportedly stopped their cooking due to the insect menace while a team from OUAT, Bhubaneswar, visited the village and took stock of the situation.

Locals said that initially they did not take the insects seriously, but when their number increased day by day, it became a major problem. They enter ears and noses and fall on food. It is difficult to cook food when the insects are in the house, they said.

The villagers had tried to kill the insects by applying insecticide, but it was ineffective.

Finally, they took up the issue with the district administration which had sent a medical team to the village. Health workers had spread bleaching powder all over the village to contain the influx of the insects.

Meanwhile, a social activist sought the help of OUAT, Bhubaneswar. Two scientists from OUAT – Swagatika Sahu and Gayatri – visited the village and identified the insects as Pentatomoidea which grow in large numbers in dry environment. “Due to climate change, the bugs are spreading into human settlements,” one of the scientists observed.

However, as these bugs are uncontrollable, the residents have appealed to the district administration to take effective measures and send an expert team to contain the menace.