Mayflies are often found in the thousands, so you may have to use more aggressive approaches to rid them for good. Frogs, newts, amphibians, birds, rodents, and even some mammals all eat mayflies. I may be able to help you out! After the eggs are deposited from the female, the female will die shortly after. How do I get rid of mayflies in my house? Note that mayflies can still go underwater even as adults with a pair of wings.
Strong smelling essential oils like peppermint oil or cinnamon can both repel flies.
mayflies are a very good sign of environmental quality and water quality. Then the wings come out. Sometime around the middle of May and lasting through June and into July, there is a plague of insects that strikes the cities, towns, and villages along Lake Erie's shoreline. I created this site to offer my 8 years of natural pest control experience to the public. Preferably way from lakes, ponds, and streams. All Rights Reserved.
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MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Adult form mayflies will also feed on various vegetable matter and continue eating algae diets above water. Believe it or not, mayflies aren’t flies, but they can fly. There are thousands of mayfly species worldwide, with over 400 genera in 42 families so far. Mayfly hatches occur in June or July in southern Michigan. Seeing thousands of small flies landing on all your walls, patio doors, windows, doors, and garages all seemingly overnight can be a real scare. Aquatic nymphs will scavenge small plant pieces or algae that are living on objects like stones, rocks, and logs. However, they typically prefer areas with cleaner rivers and streams with warmer conditions.
They'll go anywhere where there's light at night. Warmer weather with plenty of humidity will give birth to larger swarms of these pests, and possibly earlier than May. No insecticides or other control efforts are necessary, as the adults are only in flight for one to two days. Be sure to review the active ingredients and avoid any synthetic or dangerous compounds when you can. Other states may prohibit harming them at all. But if you live in an area where swarm after swarm of mayflies come, you’ll have to consider hiring a professional or using commercial poisons. You can also use the broom to reach areas such as roofing for awnings on your home. After the eggs are laid, they’ll hatch in about 14 days. After the nymphs are born, they’ll develop over the course of 24 months. Use the sticky tape as directed, and apply the tape to various surfaces such as: Fly tape is cheap and effective. Mayflies are highly prolific and do mating dances and swarm together during these events. Fish, reptiles, and other pets will eat mayflies as a source of food. Female adult mayflies only have their wings for a very short period of time. These creatures spend one to two years living burrowed in the mud on the lake’s floor, hatching to its second stage as a winged bug only after spending the necessary time to grow. Do your research and read reviews. Don’t use it near dogs and always do your research with any other pets. they can also appear earlier or later than May, depending on what species of mayflies you’re dealing with.
Mayflies actually don’t even have mouths to feed with, believe it or not. state of an ecosystem just by the abundance of mayflies. As the name says, you’ll often see them in May. Large populations of mayflies are a bioindicator or a sign that indicates the health of an ecosystem. Read the latest up-to-date information on the mayflies around Lake Erie. Here’s a video demonstrating how dense these swarms can be (via USA TODAY): No. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. They’ll all disappear suddenly if you just wait a day or two. Place it anywhere where you notice mayfly activity. Open for Entire Year . For those with swarms or live in a native mayfly area, you’ll have to get professional help to manage mayfly pests, as it’s nearly impossible to keep them under control without large-scale approaches. Of course, if you live in an area where mayflies are native, you may get swarm after swarm from different colonies. It’s not birds we’re talking about, but the Giant Michigan Mayfly (Hexagenia limbata)! 2020? To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. If you spray this stuff onto surfaces, you’ll have to reapply every 12 hours to keep it effective. Traps, poison, and other natural repellents are useful for smaller swarms or just mayflies that have found their way into your home. Be sure you replace all screens on your patio doors, windows, and other areas. There are quite a few types of traps you can build to catch them, and here are some you may want to check out later in this guide. Also, be sure to clean the zapper as needed because they can get clogged quickly. When they enter land, mayfly populations are large enough to interfere with outdoor activities. Required fields are marked *. Males will approach the females from under and complete mating on the wing. Any lake, pond, stream, river, or anything of the sort will be sufficient for the female to deposit her eggs. All waters open for fishing. Mayflies also have 6 limbs, and a large, transparent pair of wings that are larger than their own body length. This is when they pose a real risk. Add natural mayfly nymph predators to the water, Control algae and keep the pond or pool clean, Remove leaves and debris from water sources. You can buy sticky tape or trap sat any hardware store. The swarms can become so thick that you can’t even see through them- with thousands upon thousands of mayflies all swarming and mating together at once.
You can use a variety of fly killer sprays and apply as directed. The point is to release the natural odor from the garlic to repel the flies. Mayflies will land on buildings and structures around your home, such as: Should they form a swarm nearby, they’ll land on anything and everything that they possibly can. The mated females will then deposit her eggs as described earlier. They are drawn to any light source - coating the sides of buildings and telephone poles. A final molt will take place over the course of a few hours, leading to the imago stage, also known as a spinner. Of course, this makes them vulnerable to predators in the water who will eat mayflies naturally. This article was published by Michigan State University Extension.
During the aquatic nymph period, you can attract these predators to eat mayflies: When mayflies get wings and are found on land, you can utilize these predators: As mentioned previously, mayflies only live for a few days in the adult form that can fly. This includes algae and other small bits of plants that are stuck on logs, rocks, or the lake bed. This comprehensive DIY pest control guide will teach you all the best ways to get rid of mayflies naturally. This section of the guide goes over how to kill mayflies (without using chemicals). But generally, mayflies have very short lifespans and are a fascinating species of study.