Ready To Be Repulsed AND Amazed?

New Jersey ain't looking so bad right about now. At least we're not overrun with swarms of horny flying insects!




NY Daily News - Annual mayfly hatch wreaks havoc with Wisconsin residents along river

The annual mayfly hatch has wreaked havoc with residents in Wisconsin along the Mississippi River, even possibly causing a three-car accident in Pierce County on Sunday night.

The annoying bugs only live for 48 hours, but they are just as much a problem dead as they are alive, experts say.

"They’re sometimes accumulating in areas that are lit up at night; so street signs, any of the power poles that have power lights on them, those are objects that these animals will be attracted to,” Harvey Halvorsen of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resouces told WEAU. “Especially the bridges, if bridges have lighting, the Hexagenia adults will be attracted to the bridges.”

Wisconsin resident Glen Siewer says he has four wheelbarrows full of mayflies.

Mayflies spend most of their lives in a juvenile stage and are called naiads. During this time, the naiads (sometimes called "nymphs") are aquatic and live in freshwater lakes and streams but once a year most of the population will undergo a final molt during what's called a "hatch" and spend the next two days swarming and breeding en masse.

EDIT:

From The Blaze:

“The radar detected the flies about 845 pm, emanating from the river (the source) with echo values similar to that of light-moderate rain (35-40 dBZ),” NWS said. “With a general south-to-north wind flow above the surface, the mayflies quickly moved north once in the air. As the flies dispersed moving north-northeast, they also gained altitude with some of the echo being detected as far north as Black River Falls and as high as 2,500 feet above ground.”

a reply to: theantediluvian

AAAAH! Yuch! I bet there's a lot of happy birds and frogs though!

www.abovetopsecret.com...
Could the shortage of bats be the reason for this infestation?

We have had them here in Michigan so bad that it sounds like bubble wrap popping when you are driving over hundreds of them at a time on a street. When you try to stop, you skid like you were on ice............

happening late this year......must be because of the hard winter.

yuk...new jersey gets all the fun stuff....i was born there and remember a locust swarm that happens every 20 odd years that looked somewhat similar

"Mating is their one and only reason to live".

Growing up I noticed that there were times when certain bugs were way way over what they should have been .We have this cycle with tent caterpillars that is nuts . They eat anything with a leaf on it and you cant even see the dirt on the roads they get so thick .

And all we get is ton's of skeeters. Now I am depressed, I would be willing to do a trade.

Eww... that looks apocalyptic.

a reply to: eisegesis

Mating is their one and only reason to live

Yup. Me too. In fact, that works for most living things... except, of course, wives.

a reply to: Taino

No. Theyre complete normal and only one time a year...every single year. They die quickly. Here in Michigan its crazy this time of year. They are always everywhere..houses, cars, chimneys, boats, vents, windows, doors, porches, playgrounds, sunroofs, utility boxes, sidewalks...EVERY-WHERE....

And then? POOF! Gone for another year when they will be backin force again...and again...and again...and...

a reply to: theantediluvian

I was hoping amazement would override the repulsion.....

wish not granted...

just kidding, that is a trip for sure. Kind of freaky and apocalyptic.

Hot damn, and I thought Florida lovebug season was bad O.O

You win the Gross Bugs contest, Wisconsin, you win.

originally posted by: Nyiah
Hot damn, and I thought Florida lovebug season was bad O.O

You win the Gross Bugs contest, Wisconsin, you win.

I remember driving down to see my grandparents as a kid during love bug season and it was a pretty nasty drive but this, this is disturbing.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Disturbing is an understatement, lol. That mayfly swarm is of epic horror flick proportions and then some. The only consolation is that at least it's not something PTSD-inducing, like these flying bastards we contend with down here. Our roaches, they fight back when you try to kill them. They fight back, man, they fight back.

originally posted by: Taino
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Could the shortage of bats be the reason for this infestation?

Gah! You beat me to it, although I was going to say they need some bats up there! And I agree that I thought love-bug season was bad. This is just creepy.

Look at the bright side, that is a lot of protein entering the environment for your woodland and avian friends.

First hand experience here. Heck of a year for bugs all around - way thick. Now it's just these little guys getting all the news. Granted they get BAD in the evening.