The Fishfly

Flies. Oh the flies. Last year when I told people that we were moving to Northern Minnesota, it became clear that this area is known for 2 things. Cold weather and bugs. I don't even know every bug that is out here, I just know they range from teeny tiny things you can't see, all the way up to some that could be mistaken for a hummingbird. You have  May Flies, Dragon Flies, Horse Flies, Black Flies, Bull Flies, Lake Bugs and, our state bird, the Mosquito. Just to name a few.  Now some of these may be the same thing, but does it really matter? They all buzz around and bite and swarm around your head as if you haven't showered in a few days. But the friendliest and least harmful fly around is the Fish fly.

This Fish Fly is quite large and looks like a worm with wings.  They hatch from eggs buried in the mud and come out in June for a short length of time, but are huge in number.  They live in the larvae form for something like 7 years.  But their actual life--mate, lay eggs and die-- is only 24 hours. (Yes I looked that up online and didn't write down where the information came from.  Please don't turn me for Plagiarism,  I could never survive a night in the big house.)

This cabin looks like it has black flecks all over it-those are the Fish Flies.  They just stick to everything and can be riding around on your shirt without your knowledge or consent.  You can flick them off and they don't even seem offended by it.  Poor little things are alive to feed the fish and that is it.  They don't even get to attack animals or people or have an opinion on anything.

When these guys are out in full force, you can't leave lights on at night.  If you did, there would be an enormous pile of them in the morning.  And it would be smelly.  Apparently, there are car crashes on record from where a bunch have died and left a slick patch on the road and the cars slid on it.

There is a video on YouTube of a man in Michigan that is hired every summer to clean the dead Fish Flies up at night.  He has a leaf blower and is moving them into piles. BIG PILES. It's my opinion that we should figure out how to make some sort of gas or recycled containers out of these guys.  Sculptures or artwork at the very least.  So much material right there at your disposal!  Forward thinking, they call it.

Here you can see them all on the eave of the cabin.

A nice close-up.  If you want a better idea of how they look, you will either have to Google it or buy me a fancy camera that I can take better photos with.  It's up to you.