More mosquitoes in Seoul this fall: report

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Despite winter being just weeks away, a number of people living in Seoul have been complaining about mosquitoes still bothering their daily life.

Kim, a Seoul housewife in her 50s, has had trouble sleeping recently due to persistent mosquitoes, even as the cool autumn weather sets in. "I thought I had caught them all and tried to go to sleep, but another mosquito started buzzing around my head," she complained.

"I get bitten by mosquitoes immediately when I go for an evening walk with my dog. It's stressful because I didn't pay much attention to mosquitoes during the summer," an office worker surnamed Cho, in her 30s, also expressed her frustration.

There has been an increase in the mosquito population in Seoul during the fall season this year.

According to data from 50 digital mosquito surveillance devices installed in Seoul, the number of mosquitoes collected in Seoul in the second week of October was approximately 933 individuals.

This represents an increase of about 1.5 times compared to the last week of September. Compared to the same period in the previous year, there was a roughly 2.6-fold increase in the mosquito count. In the third week of October, around 863 mosquitoes were captured, which also saw an approximately 2.7-fold increase compared to the same period in the previous year.

The primary reason for mosquitoes remaining active into the autumn is attributed to the warm weather.

Mosquitoes remain active when the temperature is above 13 degrees Celsius. Despite entering November, with temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius during the day, mosquitoes can still be a nuisance.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the temperature in Seoul's Jongno at 4 a.m. on Thursday was 18.9 degrees Celsius, higher than Wednesday morning's lowest temperature of 17.2 degrees Celsius in Seoul.

The day's lowest temperature in Seoul was 14.9 degrees Celsius on Oct. 19. Afterward, it fluctuated between 9 to 12 degrees Celsius, but as November approached, it rose to the upper teens.

The average temperature, which had dropped to 10.4 degrees Celsius on Oct. 21, rose to 17.2 degrees Celsius on Oct. 25.

The Korea Meteorological Administration predicts that high temperature fluctuations and clear weather will continue for the foreseeable future, and mosquito activity is expected to persist.

By Cho Min-jeong(blacknib@heraldcorp.com)