People in a Central Highlands province are being tormented by the invasion of a kind of insect whose shape is like a black bean.

On Saturday, many residents in Kon Tum City, the capital of Kon Tum Province, were upset by the ‘black-bean’ beetles, as called by local residents.

The house of Nguyen Thi Du was full of the beetles that clustered on the ceiling, floors, curtains, and closets, releasing unpleasant odor.

Du said that the insects usually swarm to her house at 11:00 pm so her family has to close all the doors and windows before that time; otherwise, they would flood the home.

The beetle swarm also ‘blackened’ many houses in Kep Ram and Plei Chor Villages, Hoa Binh Commune, disrupting locals’ life.

“During rains, floors will be filled with lines of such beetles crawling and flying like droplets splashed onto the ground,” Y Mon, a resident of Plei Chor Village, said.

Clusters of Mesomorphus Villiger, also called ‘black-bean’ beetles, are seen in this photo. Picture: Tuoi Tre

Many complained that they could not have dinner with lights on as the beetles would hover around, whereas others said that the insects would block the TV screen when they turned it on.

The ‘black-bean’ beetles, or Mesomorphus Villiger, are widely common in many areas in the Central Highlands, according to the Quy Nhon Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology.

The insects live in damp and dark places like rotten wood or underground where crops of pepper, rubber trees, and fruit plants are grown, but do no harm to the trees.

The beetles tend to swarm in lighted houses, as they are attracted to light, the institute said on its website, adding that they mainly spawn from March to August, when the rainy season comes.

The Kon Tum People’s Committee has urged related departments to enact measures to control the beetles.

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