Midges

The Midge, also known as mufflehead, is not the red-headed, freckled best friend of Barbie. (Blogger's note: I'm totally inspired to drive to my parents' house and do blogs and blogs about all my Barbies.) 

But rather that really annoying bug that seems to have invaded Erie, Pa. Apparently they took up residence in Cleveland a few years ago.

What are they and where do they come from? Is it just me? Did these bugs come from nowhere?

Maybe they have been around Erie for years and I just live closer to the Lake Erie... but I couldn't seem to find any articles about midges in Erie during my (less-than-scholarly) online searches. The midges were around a few weeks ago -- and the only way I identified them were from my Cleveland friends' Facebook posts. Now they seem to have come back for a second round and are hanging out on my porch and windows and exterior siding and shed. Annoying.

But besides bothering humans, these bugs help balance the ecosystem by acting as fodder for fish and other aquatic life. It also means Lake Erie has gotten much healthier.

Midges, or muffleheads, now occupy the Great Lakes region due to a change in lake temperature. Specifically, they spawn during times of water-warming and water-cooling.

Midges are not Mayflies. Mayflies do not belong to the midge family; mayflies are related to dragonflies. However like midges, mayflies live in lakes and only come onto land during their brief adulthood.

Not a fan of swarming insects? Don’t be alarmed. These plentiful pests are non-biting and only live for short spans. Muffleheads/midges live for about a week while the mayflies would be lucky to last one day in adulthood.

Unfortunately these pests, which have, in once instance, actually shown up on weather radar systems due to their prevalence, don’t look like they’ll be packing their metaphorical bug-bags any time soon. The Great Lakes climate and proximity to water make for ideal breeding grounds. The multiplication of these pests also means that we’ve come a long way since pollution defined Lake Erie. While a nuisance, these bugs can be kept at bay with common bug spray.

So. Are these insects bugging you? Have they been around Erie for awhile and I have been living under a (indoor, of course) rock?