VietNamNet Bridge - People who live in apartments in Hanoi are very puzzled because the appearance of poisonous beetles named Paederus fuscipes Curtis.

Ms. Le Thu, a resident of Trung Hoa Nhan Chinh residential area, said on the evening of October 22, hundreds of Paederus fuscipes Curtis beetles flew into her apartment.

She said: "At around 9 pm, I found these beetles in my apartment. Because the window opened, they flew into the house. They cling on lamps and fell onto the floor when their wings were broken. I live on the eighth floor and other floors also had these beetles".

Thu’s two-year-old daughter had some wounds caused by the beetles. Big red spots appeared on her legs. Thu washed the wounds with soap and saline rinse then applied ointment on the wounds. The wounds were off the next morning, but she still worried.
    
"I heard that these beetles have poison on their stomach. They are too big to kill manually. Is there any chemical to kill them? Mosquito sprays are no avail," Thu said.




Recently, many apartments in Hanoi like Dang Xa, Lang Ha, Linh Dam, Kim Lien, Dai Tu, Hoang Van Thai residential areas have these beetles at night. Many people were bitten by them, causing itching, burning and pain.

Some families that have small children have to close the door all day and turn off the lights to prevent the beetles from flying into their houses.

Ms. Mai Anh, a resident from Linh Dam apartments, said: "Many children in this apartment block are bitten by the beetles, including my son. The beetles are sensitive to light so I do not dare to open the window and have to turn off light at night,” Van Anh said.

Dr. Pham Thi Khoa, from the Malaria - Parasitology - Entomology Institute, said this species of beetle is the one that recently attacked people in HCM City and Hue. They live in the rice fields and gardens. As rice fields in Hanoi have been harvested, they followed wind to enter residential areas that are near to fields.

The beetles neither sting nor bite, but their haemolymph contains pederin, a potent toxin that causes blistering and Paederus dermatitis. The toxin is released when the beetle is crushed against the skin. People are advised to brush or blow the insect off their skin to prevent irritation.

La Hoan