Giving a curfew to butterflies

The phenomenon of an itchy butterfly in cities at night forced French foreigner Guyana to impose a curfew.

AFP reported that Sinnamary area of ​​Guyana was being attacked by the yellow-tailed butterfly (Hylesia Metabus) . Sinnamary is about 110 km west of the capital Cayenne.

Yellow-tailed butterflies mainly live in mangrove forests. But electric light makes them fly towards the city in the period from 19h to 23h. Female butterflies release thousands of microscopic hairs to protect their eggs. These hairs cause intense itching when touching the skin.

A yellow-tailed butterfly. (Photo: wildlifeinsight.com)

Since early July Sinnamary people have started to turn off their power, close their shops early and get into the screen after sunset to minimize the risk of yellow tail butterflies attacking.

'The dim light from a television also makes butterflies fly into the house. During the past month I have always closed in the evening. The expansion of butterflies caused heavy damage to the economy of Guyana, because it happened at the peak of the tourist season , 'said Barbara Thomas, owner of a restaurant.

People at Sinnamary once marched on July 29 to ask the government to destroy the yellow-tailed butterfly. Officials established a committee to resolve the situation. The committee is considering a number of measures to kill butterflies, including pesticide spraying in marshes during their breeding period.

Claude Berteaud, a local engineer, said that at the nearby Kourou International Space Center, light traps were set to catch them.

Guyana, covering an area of ​​more than 83,000 square kilometers and a population of about 237 thousand, is a French overseas territory in South America. It is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast, sharing the border with Brazil in the east and south.