PENDANG, March 28 — The sudden appearance of tens of caterpillars in the canteen of primary school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Syed Ibrahim, here is making teachers, students and the canteen operators jittery.
According to Mat Nizam Md Isa, 42, who has been operating the canteen for two years, this was the first time the black caterpillars which are the size of cigarette butts have appeared in the canteen.
“This is scaring us and when we touch the caterpillars, our body becomes itchy. Almost every day I suffer this itchiness all over my body whenever I am in the kitchen.
“The students who come here to wash their hands and accidentally touch the caterpillars also experience the same thing, and I hope this problem is resolved soon,” he told Bernama when met here today.
He said various efforts had been made to destroy the caterpillars including spraying aerosols and putting salt in places where they are found, but the insects which came from the lime trees behind the canteen were still there.
Meanwhile, Operations Officer of the Pendang Civil Defence Force Norashikin Ahmad Zawawi said the lime trees will be cut down this Friday and pesticides sprayed at the site to ensure that the caterpillars do not bother the students and staff any more. — Bernama
