Mayflies amassing in South Dakota

DE SMET, SD (KELO) — Just in case you haven’t gotten your fill of mosquitoes this summer, there’s another bug spreading its wings in South Dakota.

A blizzard of bugs wasn’t in Brian Karstens’ forecast when he stopped for a fill-up at a convenience store in De Smet over the weekend.

“You had to second-guess opening the car door they were that thick and they were moving up and down the gas pumps,” KELOLAND Meteorologist Brian Karstens said.

The winged invaders turned out to be mayflies. Brian took out his camera and shot a video of all the bugs swarming around, and on, his car.

“I was more concerned about the motor on the car if we were going to pull in bugs in the air intake. But ultimately, they were just buzzing around,” Karstens said.

Mayflies in South Dakota don’t live up to their names. They prefer summer to spring, emerging as adults in July and August.

“They’re mayflies in some places. Here, they’re late July flies. So, it just comes with the name,” SDSU Extension Forestry Specialist John Ball said.

Mayflies have a very short lifespan. They’re lucky to live for 48 hours. So, they have to squeeze a lot of living in just a couple days’ time.

“What they do is swarm, mate, the female lays eggs, and they die,” Ball said.

Unlike mosquitoes, mayflies won’t bite you. They couldn’t even if they wanted to.

“They have a mouth part, but it’s non-functional. Maybe they could gum you a little bit if one landed on you. They can’t bite you, that’s the biggest thing. They can’t bite anybody,” Ball said.

But you can’t eat if you don’t have a mouth, and that’s what leads to a mayfly’s early demise. Sure, they’re a nuisance when flying around in swarms. But wait a couple of days… and problem solved!

There are dozens of different species of mayflies in South Dakota that emerge as adults at different times of the year.

Ball says we could see more mayflies this summer because of the wet weather earlier in the season. But that’s a good thing because it’s a sign of clean water quality.

Ball says if you want to keep mayflies away from your yard, turn off any outdoor lighting around the home.

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