"It is hard to breathe properly if I take off my mask because of the bugs," said Cho (72), who was taking a walk along the Sincheon stream banks under Chilseong Bridge in Buk-gu, Daegu, on the morning of July 3, while wearing a cooling face mask.

"It is somewhat bearable in the morning, but after sunset, dozens of flying insects swarm together," Cho added, expressing her frustration.

As the intense summer heat begins, citizens using riverside parks are increasingly facing attacks from swarms of insects.

With more people visiting these parks recently to go running or escape the heat, critics are calling for more active pest control measures from administrative authorities.

During a visit to the area that day, insect carcasses tangled in spider webs were easily visible throughout the Sincheon riverside.

The types of insects were diverse, including mosquitoes, mayflies, and moths.

Groups of mayflies were also seen swarming together.

Kim (60s), who was walking along the Sincheon banks under Dongshin Bridge in Jung-gu, voiced his complaints, saying, "The bugs stick to my clothes, and it is a daily chore to remove them when I get home. I am not sure if the Jung-gu Office is conducting proper pest control."

Kim added, "If they are doing it, the effect seems weak. They should increase the frequency of pest control and take action before the insect population grows even larger."

While local governments are attempting to respond by increasing the number of pest control personnel and the frequency of operations, it appears to be insufficient.

With the emergence of insects increasing not only in riverside parks but also in sewers, the number of related complaints has risen to 15 to 20 per day, significantly higher than in the winter, making it difficult to focus pest control efforts solely on riverside parks.

In response, Buk-gu has been preparing countermeasures, such as hiring one additional pest control worker for each of its 23 administrative welfare centers last month.

The district is conducting fogging disinfection up to four times a month along the Sincheon riverside using a one-ton truck.

For pest control workers in Dong-gu, who are responsible for the Dongchon Resort and the Geumho River area, the workday ends two hours later than usual from May to September.

To cope with the summer season, Dong-gu Health Center pest control workers are intensively disinfecting areas such as Dongchon Resort and the Geumho riverside from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Starting this year, Dong-gu is also attempting to eliminate blind spots in pest control by operating the "Neighborhood Tongjang (community leader) Pest Control Team," a first for Daegu.

From July to October, these teams will patrol various parts of the neighborhood to inspect stagnant water and remove larvae.

They will also distribute insect repellent to residents and engage in promotional activities for mosquito prevention.

An official from Dong-gu said, "This is a resident-participatory pest control system utilizing the first Tongjang organization in Daegu. We expect it to resolve blind spots in pest control by blocking the occurrence of mosquitoes and other pests within residential areas in advance."

(Photo: Yonhap News)