Thousands of flying bugs invaded a Buddhist temple in Thailand.

The black insects - called Darkling beetles - were about the size of a rice grain and swarmed the monks' sleeping quarters in Wat Wang Sai Thong Wanaram temple in Phetchabun province on March 25.

Monk Phra Kru Piyapatcharanusit said he first noticed the flying creatures in the bathroom after heavy rain so they followed where they were coming from.

He said: 'These bugs live in the soil and when it rains they come up and take refuge in the temple. It’s horrible during bedtime, the bugs would climb all over the interior and also in the bed net. It smells bad and causes a burning sensation to the eyes.

'It wasn’t as bad before but it shows up every year. Sometimes we sweep the floor and were able to collect a total of five fertiliser bags filled with bugs. We need help from local authorities to solve this issue.'

The black-coloured insects with a foul smell could be seen crawling in the bedroom, the storage room, the entrance, the window, the ceiling, the walls, and also on the Buddha's image inside the cubicle.

Phra Kru Piyapatcharanusit added the bugs had prevented them from performing their daily routine in peace so he complained to local authorities.

Locals attempted to spray insecticides to get rid of the insects and prayed to the spirits for guidance.

Jamrus Saengsud, 56 said: ‘I wanted to help the monks by spraying the insecticides but the machine wasn’t working but after I prayed, the machine magically switched on. I believe it was the local spirits preventing me from doing so.’