TOLEDO, Ohio —
As summer nears, more outdoor activities will start. But if one of those activities is along the lake shore area or on Lake Erie within the next month, you want to be on the lookout for those infamous mayflies.
But despite "may" being in the name, Dr. Christine Mayer, a professor of ecology at the University of Toledo Lake Erie Center, said the insects typically start appearing in June or even early July.
And, mayflies live longer than a day despite the common assertion. Before metamorphosing into an adult mayfly, Mayer said it lives as a larva or nymph for two years underwater in Lake Erie.
“They're like two-year-olds when they come out," Mayer said. “They really change, they come out with wings and they fly."
But why do so many of them fall by the lakeshore areas of Lake Erie, and not more inland?
"How many you see is going to depend on which direction the wind is blowing, and that's why they go in swarms," Mayer said. "The wind gathers them and moves them around."
Mayer said when mayflies do hatch, the best thing you can do is turn off any lights that you have outdoors or in parking lots because the lights attract the insects.
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