PILI, Camarines Sur—The rice pest called black bug or tayangaw in local dialect has spread to the coastal towns of Sangay, San Jose and Lagonoy, according to the information chief of the Department of Agriculture here.

        Emily Bordado, chief of the communications department of the DA here, said the spread of black bug to Camarines Sur was spawned by cruising fishing vessels from Albay and Sorsogon.

        Bordado said the black bug travels with vessels with bright lights to which they are attracted.

        She said the black bug sucks the young shoots of rice plant and dries them up.

        She said initial theory was that fishing vessels from Manito, Albay which is a short distance away from Sorsogon towns known to be infested with black bug.

        Bordado said that from there the black bug reached Camarines Sur.

        “We are monitoring closely the developments in the area because the infestation of black bug in the province would wreak havoc to the rice industry,” she said.

        But Bordado said another theory has been forwarded by an expert from the University of the Philippines which claims the black bug maybe endemic in Bicol region.

        The expert tagged black bug as “Bicolana bug”.

        Bordado said the DA through the pest control and management department has already checked the spread of black bug infestation in Sorsogon province.

        She said the towns in Sorsogon where infestation of black bug was documented and checked included Prieto Diaz, Gubat, Barcelona and Bulan.