Night of the Swarming Mayflies (part 2)

Jun 15, 2015

Pennsylvania’s night of the swarming mayflies was held over for a repeat performance, officials say, in a scarily-bizarre freak phenomenon that’s now threatening to become an everyday occurrence. 

The swarm of tiny gnats that first descended on motorists trying to cross the Route 462 bridge on Saturday evening was thought to have died there en masse; their winged corpses creating a thick and slick coat that blinded drivers and sent vehicles dangerously careening.

But then Sunday night the big, bad bug-cloud reappeared, once more snarling traffic on the overpass, causing multiple collisions, and forcing the temporary closure of the besieged bridge.

No one was seriously hurt this time either, according to police, but the blizzard of semi-suicidal insects is definitely something straight out of a B horror movie.

And the stench -- good grief.

"It was just crazy," reports one bugged out eyewitness. "It was an inch to 2 inches of mayflies on the road."

Experts explain that the mayfly can easily be lured off course by bright lights, particularly when these illuminate attractive surfaces like paved roads and bridges.

When they’re struck by cars, though, the squished eggs of pregnant females release a super slippery and rather stinky liquid.

However, despite the ominous nature of a second straight night of the swarming mayflies, and the potential perils this poses to human beings, it’s actually a positive sign, claims Tom Smith of the Penn State Extension in York County.

"They're indicators of clearer water," Smith says. "It's indicating that the Susquehanna River's getting cleaner."

Eponymous Rox

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