Mayflies Causing Havoc in Minnesota
- 12 years ago
Mayflies Causing Havoc in Minnesota - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
Talk about an invasion!
The annual hatching of mayflies in the Mississippi River has grown to overwhelming proportions. The swarm of insects has gotten so bad that the lights have been turned off on Highway 61’s Hastings Bridge to try and deter the insects from accumulating there. This is a preventative measure that was taken a little too late, because one head on collision has already been caused by the nearly four inches of mayflies that conglomerated on the bridge over the Mississippi River in Minnesota.
The driver of one of the vehicles said the bridge was so slippery that he lost control of his car. He got out of the car to check on his family and couldn’t even walk because there were so many mayflies. Jeff Hahn, an entomologist told the Star Tribune: “The mayfly’s life is so short -- and their only goal is to mate -- it's in their best interest to have everyone coming out at the same time.”
Have you ever had to deal with mayflies?
Talk about an invasion!
The annual hatching of mayflies in the Mississippi River has grown to overwhelming proportions. The swarm of insects has gotten so bad that the lights have been turned off on Highway 61’s Hastings Bridge to try and deter the insects from accumulating there. This is a preventative measure that was taken a little too late, because one head on collision has already been caused by the nearly four inches of mayflies that conglomerated on the bridge over the Mississippi River in Minnesota.
The driver of one of the vehicles said the bridge was so slippery that he lost control of his car. He got out of the car to check on his family and couldn’t even walk because there were so many mayflies. Jeff Hahn, an entomologist told the Star Tribune: “The mayfly’s life is so short -- and their only goal is to mate -- it's in their best interest to have everyone coming out at the same time.”
Have you ever had to deal with mayflies?