Those Pesky Fish Flies Are Back And How To Stop Em
Fish Flies, AKA, Mayflies are back. And if you live by or travel to one of our great lake areas, Michigan is home to over 100 types of mayflies, and hundreds of thousands are currently swarming lakeside communities in the next few weeks.
What Are Mayflies or Fish Flies?
Fish Flies spend most of their life in water as larvae. They take a year or two to hatch and only live for about a day or so once they emerge to surface water as an adult. Then it turns into a giant sex orgy for two days.
Love Is In The Air And The Water
Once an adult mayfly emerges from the water, it spends the rest of its life on a sex quest. Once it is done and has had a cigarette, the female lays several eggs on the water’s surface, and the cycle continues. A female can lay up to 4,000 eggs.
The Fish Flies Hang Out In The White Light District
“When they have the munchies, they hang out near lights and corner stores like Jay and Silent Bob. They love fast food menu boards, gas pumps, trees, or other structures near the water in the daytime, “From dusk and dawn when they are most active.”
Anything Anyone Can Do To Combat Mayfly Season?
Without using dangerous pesticides, there is a more natural way of deterring fish flies this year.
What is the best repellent for mayflies?
The strong scent of garlic will help deter them. Essential oils, particularly those with strong scents, can repel mayflies effectively.
Even better, because fish flies are attracted to light, you can prevent mayflies by replacing lamps with high-pressure sodium vapor lamps and replacing white incandescent fluorescent bulbs with yellow bulbs.
Does peppermint oil keep mayflies away?
Mix water and peppermint oil in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle before use, and spray the solution around entry spots such as windowsills, door frames, or places where insects may hide. The strong odor repels those little bastards—and might get you a date at a local dive bar.