Bukit Batok West residents bugged by beetles

Kimberly Spykerman Channel NewsAsia 22 Apr 15;

SINGAPORE: Some residents in Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 have had to cope with unusual visitors over the past month. They have found large numbers of beetles in their homes, and are puzzled as to where they came from.

One resident, Ms Shirley Ng, shared footage of hundreds of beetles at a common area near for her HDB block. The critters tend to appear mostly at the void decks and along common corridors, but have also entered residents' homes.

Mdm S Neo told Channel NewsAsia: "We thought that it was bed bugs, because there's a lot of bugs on the bed. So we threw away the soft toys and changed the mattresses, and bought new mattresses. In the end we realised from the neighbours it wasn't bed bugs because they saw it in their house as well."

Another resident, Ms Jaclyn Tan said: "There's actually hordes of them flying into the house. It's not really a big problem if you ask me. You have to pick them up and throw them out, sweep more often. I don't know where they came from."

The Jurong Town Council said it first received feedback about the insects from residents of Block 170 to 173 two weeks ago. It said it acted immediately and combed the area surrounding the affected blocks, including trees, roof tops, and open spaces.

"Although our search was extensive, we did not detect any source or breeding grounds in the areas under our management. We have also sought‎ assistance from HDB and other agencies on this issue," general manager at the town council Ho Thian Poh said. The beetles seem to be "attracted mainly to the lights at night", he stated.

JTC sent a beetle specimen to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority. Mr Ho said a photo of the bug was sent to the National University of Singapore's Department of Biological Sciences as well, and they had indicated that the beetles are not harmful.

"They stated that the beetles do not possess a sting so they are not able to sting people and a large majority of beetles are not known to transmit or carry disease,” Mr Ho added.

- CNA/hs

Mystery critters bug Bukit Batok by the thousand
My Paper AsiaOne 23 Apr 15;

Recently, countless black winged bugs have been swarming into three blocks of flats in Bukit Batok every evening only to drop dead, leaving huge, creepy piles for the residents to clear and sparking fears that their bite might be dangerous.

The bugs belong to a yet undetermined species and are no bigger than a grain of rice.

They have unfailingly turned up in swarms every day after nightfall since two weeks ago at blocks 170, 171 and 172 in Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday.

According to resident Chen Jiajing, 76, the bugs first appeared last year at the blocks, but only in small numbers.

He is mystified as to why they suddenly came in such huge numbers.

The retiree told the newspaper that the bugs would swarm in after 7pm every evening. Most of them would then form a black circling mass around lamps at the void decks.

"They would cluster around the lights until they drop to the floor, where they would crawl for a bit before they die," he said.

Mr Chen, whose home is on the 12th floor of Block 171, said some of the bugs would fly into his unit, numbering more than a hundred on each occasion.

Housewife Candy Tan, 56, who lives on the 24th floor of Block 170, said she had the "worst" encounter on Saturday, when she estimated more than a thousand flew into her house.

Their remains filled up a third of a paper bag, said Ms Tan.

According to cleaner Alani, who cleans the area, the amount of dead bugs he collects in half an hour could fill three plastic bags.

Mr Chen said he had never seen this sort of bug before, not even in his days living in a kampung.

"It feels itchy when it lands on you," he said.

Xu Lizhu, a resident of Block 170, said she was once bitten by one of the bugs while watching television. But she experienced no swell nor any lump, although the bite was painful.

Ms Liang, another resident, said the bugs not only enter her living room, but also the toilets and bedrooms, with some landing on the beds.

Initially thinking these were the usual bed bugs and fearing that they would bite her daughter, she immediately changed the bedsheet.

Then she became worried when she saw that the bugs kept growing in numbers and, after checking a lampshade where they tended to crowd around, she realised they had come from outside.

The Jurong Town Council, which oversees the area's environment, said it had conducted searches in the vicinity of the blocks after receiving complaints, but did not find the breeding ground of the bugs.

"We had looked everywhere, including the woods, rooftops and cleared spaces," it said.

The town council has sent samples of the bugs to be studied and has sought the help of the Housing Board, National Parks Board and National Environment Agency in tackling the problem.