IPB team to examine worms

BOGOR: A team from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture will be sent to Pengasingan hamlet in Rawalumbu Utara, Bekasi, to investigate the mysterious appearance of thousands of worms in the area.

Soemartono Sosromarsono, an entomologist from the institute, said on Friday the increase in the worm population might be the result of a decrease in the bird population, thus removing the main predator of the worms.

He said he assumed the worms were from the Lymantriidae family, and thus were not dangerous. He called on residents not to use insecticides on the worms because of the potential harm this could do to the environment.

Residents should also remove weeds and grasses from their yards to curb the reproduction of the worms, he said. --JP