Swarms of foul-smelling rice black bugs plagued towns in central Philippines amid the country's dry season.

Footage shows clumps of the pests covering an ATM in Dingle town, Iloilo province on May 7.

Local agriculturist Gilbert Quimba said: 'The time they come out and travel is during the full moon. So three days before and three days after the full moon, we see them migrating.'

The Pototan Municipal Agricultural Office said it has been preparing for the annual onslaught of the bugs by spraying farmers' fields with organic pesticide.

Armies of rice black bugs - notorious for the foul odour they emit - are a perennial problem for residents and farmers during the dry season in the Philippines.

They have caused millions of Philippine pesos in damage by blighting rice plants, feeding on their stalks and leaves. Authorities have tried to combat them by submerging the eggs in water, releasing ducks to feed on them, or killing them with insecticides.

The insects thrive in well-irrigated but poorly-drained fields.