For One Month A Year, Michigan Is Swarmed By Little Black Bugs

As Michigan enters the warmer months of the year, its acclaimed natural beauty comes to life. While most people around the state observe animals like the many kinds of birds and fish, we also have a fair share of bugs like ladybugs and bumblebees that people like, and bugs like stink bugs and mosquitoes that no one likes (stink bugs love my bedroom and they drive me crazy).

But there is a particular bug that's visible only to those along the shoreline, and it's tough to miss. Not because they're huge, but because of the opposite. These little bugs are tiny, but boy, are they plentiful. So much so that during their mating season, they fly in black swarms and cover entire buildings. Take a look at these annoying but essentially harmless black bugs, commonly known as midges.

MIdges

From mid-May to the end of June, millions of tiny midge flies measuring only 2-3mm rise from the water to lay their eggs on the surface before unceremoniously dying 3-5 days later. Midge flies live most of their lives as larvae and pupae in the water and emerge once water temperatures rise. The flies mate in swarms and then, in this case, land on the tower.

READ MORE: This Little Bug Is Causing Chaos For Wooden Decks In Michigan

However, since midges have such a short life span, they die, leaving the ground covered in piles of dead midges. What do you do with fly carcasses? You chuck them in the water.

Environmental Impact

As annoying as midges are for those who get caught up in their swarms, they prove to be a vital source of food for many birds and fish during the summer. The image below is from the White Shoal Light Historical Preservation Society, 20 miles from the Mackinaw Bridge. The benefit is that these bugs are harmless, although they can be annoying.