Insects Gathered by Light at Chiang Mai Outdoor Hot Springs
Insect Outbreaks Due to Climate Change and Rising Temperatures
A traveler's story about having to spend a night with a swarm of bugs after booking accommodation at a Thai resort has become a hot topic.
On the 31st (local time), according to local media such as Spring News, Diwa Bochat, who went to Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-largest city, to enjoy a vacation with a partner, encountered an unexpected horrific scene after arriving at a reserved luxury open-air bath accommodation.
An open-air bathtub shot at an accommodation in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A swarm of winged white termites covers the bathtub and its surroundings. [Photo by Facebook]
The open-air bath, booked to enjoy bathing while viewing the forest and spending romantic time with a partner, was filled with a swarm of bugs.
As the sun set and it got dark, winged termites were attracted to the light installed above the open-air bath tub and began to swarm. The bugs that fell into the bathwater drowned, filling the large tub completely.
Diwa quickly drained the water, but since the bugs did not flow out through the drain, many bug carcasses remained at the bottom of the tub.
Photos Diwa posted on Facebook show the creepy swarm of bugs at that time. Netizens reacted with comments such as "Is this a protein bath additive?", "It's disgusting," "They should have warned us when booking," and "This gave me a bug phobia I never had before."
However, Diwa added that "it is a natural season for bugs to appear" and understood the condition of the accommodation, though expressing regret for not being able to enjoy the bath for long.
Termites, one of the uninvited guests that come every spring, are called the "grim reaper of wooden buildings" because they gnaw on dry wood indiscriminately. Overseas, they cause significant damage by collapsing house pillars and wooden cultural properties. They mainly inhabit subtropical regions and swarm in thousands during mating flights in spring.
Experts analyze that the outbreak of insect swarms is due to climate change and rising temperatures. As cold-blooded animals, insects' body temperatures rise with ambient temperature, affecting hatching and growth rates. Early arrival of heat accelerates larval growth and increases adult insect activity.
Some local media recently reported frequent sightings of termite swarms, sharing submitted photos and videos. They also introduced a method saying, "placing a water container under a light bulb to drown them creates an effective 'trap'." Videos of termite swarms invading homes have also been shared on social media platforms like TikTok.
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