I know! How could I have chosen a more exciting and fascinating topic! This even relates to my other weird fascination with sturgeon fishing, since the flies are a major food source for the fish.
Last week I walked to a meeting about a block away from my house. It was at the height of our spring lake fly infestation. I decided that on my way home I’d try to capture it on video for you. You’re welcome! It didn’t come out the way I wanted it to (meaning: it doesn’t capture the disgustingness well enough), but here’s my first attempt at vlogging (I shot the video with my phone. If it sounds like I’m mumbling, I guess it’s because I’m walking down the street talking to myself).
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Grooooooooss! Yuck. I feel like I need to shower and I’m not even there.
Oh dear goodness! That shot of them on the pillar made me audibly gasp.
I feel like you need a final closing scene of you huddled in a tent with your nose running and talking about how scared you are…
Saw your tweet. Yeah, I gasped AND flinched. Nice vlog. Felt like I was really there, flinching AND gagging, with you!
Oh, those are some flies. Whoa.
Ewwwwwwww. I’ve been depressed by Central Oregon “spring” lately but at least we don’t have these flies. How long do they last?
oh good lord that makes my skin crawl. How do you do it? What can be done about it? That’s a sh*t ton load of flies!
Oh, no, your vlog capture the disgustingness quite well.
Bleh. This happens every spring?
Eek! The awfulness. Captured perfectly.
Oh my god, those are the size of hummingbirds!
Back in 1998 I was living in Missouri and the cycles of two different kinds of cicada peaked. It felt like the world was coming to an end. You had to run as fast as you could outside. And there was a thick layer of dead locusts all over the ground. I will never forget that!
http://fhm.fs.fed.us/fhh/fhh-98/mo_98.htm
Some forest insects that generated tremendous amounts of public concern and media attention in 1998 were periodical cicadas and the multicolored Asian lady beetle. This spring Missouri and other parts of the Midwest witnessed a rare phenomenon that only occurs once every 221 years, a combined emergence of 13-year and 17-year periodical cicadas. A 13-year brood emerged over most of Missouri except the northwest and southeast corners of the state, while a 17-year brood emerged in the western and northwestern parts of the state. Intensity of emergence was patchy with some areas having extremely heavy populations, and others none at all. Flagging, or branch damage, due to cicada oviposition became apparent by July and increased as the summer progressed. The crowns of many hardwood trees throughout Missouri were heavily spotted with dead branch tips by the end of summer.
I’m surprised that no flies went into your mouth while you were talking. It could happen!
I was gasping when you showed them gathered on that stone pillar, and gagging when you said you just spit one out! Agh! At least they don’t bite. The green flies come to parts of the Jersey shore every summer, and those f’ers HURT!
This was a great first vlog! Glad to read their stay will be short-lived.
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