Hornets Found in Incheon Songdo Apartment
Residents "They Keep Coming Back... Daily Suffering"
In Seoul Gangnam, Invasive White Termites Appear
"I can't live because of the oak gall wasps."
Residents of Apartment A in Songdo, Incheon, are expressing their distress due to oak gall wasps. Since last month, oak gall wasps and their eggs have been found in large numbers throughout the apartments.
According to Yonhap News on the 22nd, among the 1,820 households in this apartment complex, which began move-in at the end of February this year, hundreds of households have filed repair requests related to oak gall wasp damage.
In response, the Apartment A Residents' Association sent a certified letter through a law firm to the construction company demanding inspection of all units, extermination of oak gall wasps, and replacement of furniture.
As the number of affected households increases, residents' opposition is also growing stronger.
Oak gall wasps belong to the family Cynipidae of the order Hymenoptera and were found in large numbers in Songdo for the first time in 15 years since 2008.
Oak gall wasps are known to remain in the form of eggs or larvae in the raw materials of furniture and emerge through gaps between furniture when they become adults. Prolonged exposure to the bodies of insects or larvae can potentially cause respiratory or allergic diseases.
Although oak gall wasps do not directly harm humans, they are very small, about 4 mm in size, and can enter the body through food or the respiratory tract.
The construction company is currently doubling the personnel of the existing pest control company and conducting sequential pest control, but many residents insist that the furniture must be replaced entirely.
In fact, some residents, unable to wait any longer, have started replacing furniture at their own expense. In group chat rooms where residents gather, there are frequent discussions about jointly purchasing furniture.
According to landlords and tenants who have signed monthly rental contracts, some have suddenly canceled contracts or, in the case of households not yet moved in, are claiming contract invalidity.
The construction company of Apartment A has decided to conduct a full investigation of all furniture for households that wish to do so if oak gall wasps continue to appear even after several pest control treatments. They plan to use endoscopic equipment to confirm the presence of oak gall wasps and replace furniture in problematic households.
Foreign Termite Sightings Reported in Downtown Seoul... Ministry of Environment Begins Investigation
Invasive white termites discovered in a house in Gangnam-gu, Seoul [Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Environment]
A report has been received that foreign termites, which even chew on dry wood, have appeared in downtown Seoul, prompting authorities to begin an investigation.
The Ministry of Environment announced on the 19th that, after examination with a high-powered microscope, the termites found in a house in Gangnam-gu were identified as belonging to the family Kalotermitidae, genus Cryptotermes.
This is the second time that the presence of Kalotermitidae termites has been confirmed in South Korea.
The termite species discovered this time does not harm humans but causes significant damage worldwide by chewing on wood. Unlike domestic termites that live in humid environments, these termites can survive well in dry environments without moisture and can live without contact with the ground.
It remains unclear how this high-risk termite, known in places like Australia to even collapse wooden structures, was introduced into South Korea.
It is also not yet known exactly how it entered the house in Gangnam-gu.
The Ministry of Environment explained, "No traces of external introduction were found, so it is presumed that the termites are living and moving inside the indoor wooden door frames (sashes)." The Ministry plans to conduct an epidemiological investigation in the future.
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