+OverSword Posted July 22, 2014 #1 Share Posted July 22, 2014 They came en mass on Sunday and then, almost as suddenly as they emerged, they were dead, leaving a huge mess behind. A mayfly hatch in Wisconsin over the weekend was so large that it was picked up by weather radar and even caused a three-car accident, not to mention resulted in stunning photos documenting their sheer quantity. See the pictures here 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblykiss Posted July 22, 2014 #2 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Few things are as enchantingly magical as seeing the dead-rotting bodies of hundreds of thousands of insects in Wisconsin. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennThe14TH Posted July 23, 2014 #3 Share Posted July 23, 2014 That's one heckuva lot of fish food! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightly Posted July 23, 2014 #4 Share Posted July 23, 2014 May flies used to come out ... in May. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:PsYKoTiC:BeHAvIoR: Posted July 23, 2014 #5 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Someone in Wisconsin must of p***ed off God good to have Exodus come alive like that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiXilver Posted July 23, 2014 #6 Share Posted July 23, 2014 all you can gorge buffet for the bug eaters... one day to live.... hatch, fly f()ck die Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldorado Posted July 23, 2014 #7 Share Posted July 23, 2014 'Mayfly' is too nice a name for those things. I guess 'Smotherbugs' was already taken. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magikgoddess Posted July 23, 2014 #8 Share Posted July 23, 2014 We've all had to deal with them before- just keep your mouth shut when outside and you won't have to worry about accidentally swallowing some of them, lol. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OverSword Posted July 23, 2014 Author #9 Share Posted July 23, 2014 So glad this doesn't happen around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A rather obscure Bassoon Posted July 24, 2014 #10 Share Posted July 24, 2014 They have been very bad up here as well this year.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiXilver Posted July 24, 2014 #11 Share Posted July 24, 2014 I had a really intense experience with Mayflies as a kid of eight. We used to spend weekends on my dad's boat along the Mississippi and the St Croix. My sister and I slept in the back of the boat with a bug net around it. One morning I woke up and thought, 'ah it's still dark out, may as well go back to sleep'... woke up a bit later to my older sister screaming as she discovered the boat was covered.... every square inch in Mayflies. They'd hatched over night and completely covered the shoreline for miles. My dad got up, looked around, then told me to go get the anchor and we'd be rid of the bugs once we got going. When they died the following day or two, they died on the bridges in such numbers, they brought out snowplows to clear them. Their bodies were piled several inches thick and causing cars to slide around. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximusnow Posted July 24, 2014 #12 Share Posted July 24, 2014 its not even May? WTC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperdyer Posted July 24, 2014 #13 Share Posted July 24, 2014 May flies used to come out ... in May. I'm sure someone will blame "climate change" as the cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rashore Posted July 24, 2014 #14 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Mayflies are called such not because of May the month, but rather May the flower. Mayflower, AKA Hawthorn. They tend to emerge around the same time that this plant comes into bloom. Some huge swarms have emerged in late June to mid July, so having a huge swarm like this isn't too uncommon. And it's probably not climate change that brought this on, but rather the polar vortex the area has seen recently. Mayflies do well in the heat, but really thrive in somewhat cooler conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiXilver Posted July 24, 2014 #15 Share Posted July 24, 2014 We never encountered them in early Spring when I was a kid. It was always mid Summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GigglyRedhead Posted July 24, 2014 #16 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Sounds like the beginning of a freaky B-Horror movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now