Our homes have been infested by MILLIONS of insects – street is a living carpet & neighbours have been forced to move

A SLEEPY cul-de-sac has been invaded by millions of tiny “indestructible” insects that have driven residents out of their homes. Local have been left at war with a seemingly endless army of tiny black beetle-like bugs carpeting their streets. Locals believe the bugs come from a farm field nearby Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd David Buckingham, 88, tries to use Dettol to keep the bugs at bay Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd The first bugs began showing up a week ago – and within hours almost every surface including windows, doors, garden furniture and even the road itself was covered with a thick layer of bugs. Pest controllers called in by residents said they had never seen anything like this before and were powerless to deal with such vast numbers. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Residents believe the bugs moved en masse from a farmer’s field that runs directly behind the cul-de-sac because the recent heatwave made the ground too hard to burrow into. Resident Becky Lang, 34, who works from home, said she and wife Charlie have been unable to sleep or eat properly for over a week. Nigel Pugh, 59, whose mother lives in the street and is plagued by the creatures Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd The bugs are invading locals homes across the street Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Residents in South View Park in Devon noticed the indestructible beetles around a week ago Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Some residents have tried to tape gaps between their windows to stop the bugs Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd And she’s had to constantly try and remove the bugs while coping with sweltering conditions as they’ve been forced to tape up their windows. She said: “We have had to tape up our windows and dog flap, we can’t let the dog go into the garden to go to the toilet. “It is so stifling in the house we haven’t slept or eaten properly in a week. “They are all in the house and I’ve had to constantly try and get rid of them but more keep coming. Most read in The Sun Locals complain they can’t sit outside without the insects sticking to them Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Some residents believe the bugs came from farmland behind the street Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd People in the street can’t even open the window without being bombarded by the bugs Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd David Buckingham, 88, says the creatures are attracted to light colours so sit on the window all day Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd “It all happened so suddenly on Thursday 13th, at around 4pm we started to notice some bugs and by 6pm there was a living carpet across the whole road. “The council have said as they came down from agricultural land it’s not their problem, nobody has even bothered to come out and see. “We just want a bit of support but we are getting nothing.” Nobody is quite sure what the tiny bugs are with various pest control experts suggesting they could be Anthicidae, which are known as flower ant beetles, seed-bugs, or Birch Catkin Bugs, none of which bite but all can pose a nuisance when they swarm in vast numbers. An 85-year-old resident told The Sun she has been forced to move out after the bugs took over her entire house. She said: “It has been horrendous, they are everywhere, they are in every room, they are even in my bed. “If you open any windows or door they all flood in, it’s unbearable in the heat. I’ve been staying around at my daughter’s at night. “You can’t sit outside because in a few seconds they are all over you, it’s uncomfortable and they stink too. “I called out a pest control company and they have never seen anything like this before “It’s been horrible and so upsetting, when they first arrived every surface was just moving.“ Nigel Pugh, 59, said: “It’s been absolutely horrible. “We’ve contacted the local council and our MP but nobody has even bothered to come down here. “They just say they’re not dangerous so they don’t want to know. “We were told they just can’t get into the ground and that is why they came over.” When The Sun visited the street this week – seven days after the first bugs arrived – millions of bugs still remained although locals said the numbers had already dropped sharply following recent rains and colder temperatures. But every householder we spoke to told how their lives had been disrupted by the resilient bugs – which measure less than 1mm across. Residents have tried numerous ways to get rid of them, one house has piled mounds of salt, lemons and limes at every door and window to try and deter the bugs, others have used bleach, cleaning sprays or boiling water but whatever they try the vast numbers mean more keep coming back. David Buckingham, 88, a retired chartered surveyor has lived on the street for 56 years says he has never seen the bugs before. He said: “We were away last week and when we came back on Monday we couldn’t believe what we saw. “If the window is open they crawl into the house – the only thing we have found to kill them is spraying Dettol directly on them, if it’s just on a surface it doesn’t bother them. “There are far less than there were initially but nobody has seen anything like this anywhere before. In 1976 we had a swarm of ladybirds but this is worse. “They seem to be attracted to light colours so they are around our windows so we are washing them more or less every day.” Aislinn Read, 32, said: “It’s just because it’s been so hot but they are everywhere. “We can’t open our windows or doors even for a few seconds without them getting in, they are really annoying. “Some people have had eight inch-thick clumps of them where you can’t see anything else. “We can’t put the washing out but they do seem to be eating some of the weeds which is helpful.” Plymouth City Council has been contacted for comment. 1 comment1