A fresh swarm of midges has descended on Northeast Ohio this week, coating cars, windows, buildings, and anything else in their path. The tiny, non-biting insects are creating quite a spectacle along the Lake Erie shoreline and beyond.
But why are we seeing them now, in mid-October?
"We've had a really long, warm, moderate fall," says Bethany Beshire, senior manager of nature center operations for Cleveland Metroparks. "And that's allowed the water temperatures out on the lake to stay in that lower 60s range."
Those warm water temperatures -- currently hovering around 65 to 66 degrees near Cleveland, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- mean midge larvae at the bottom of Lake Erie are still maturing and hatching much later than usual.
"Now we're having this second emergence coming off the lake, and they're not shy," Beshire explained.
Midges typically emerge in spring when water temperatures warm into the 60s, but this year's extended warm fall has created conditions for a rare second wave.
Before they become the flying insects we see swarming the lakefront, midges spend most of their lives as larvae in lake-bottom sediment.
"They look like little squiggly worms," Beshire said. "They eat algae and just rotting plant and animal material that's down there in the sediment."
Their larval stage can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the species. Then, as they rise to the surface, they pupate -- the process where a larval insect transforms into an adult.
Once they emerge as adults, they have one job: reproduce.
"Once they come up to the surface and hatch out as adults, they only have really a few days to live and they don't even really eat or do anything," Beshire said. "They just want to reproduce."
That's why they all emerge at once in what's called a synchronized emergence.
"It helps them mate efficiently, because once they come up to the surface and hatch out as adults, they only have really a few days to live," Beshire noted.
The short answer? No.
"Midges are not dangerous at all," Beshire said. "I understand being kind of freaked out when you see this mass swarm of insects and 'Who wants bugs in your hair?' and all of that. But good news is they do not bite."
These are non-biting midges, meaning they can't hurt you at all. They're just... annoying.
If you're dealing with midges at your home, Beshire has some practical tips.
"You can deter them by keeping your lights down or out, because they are attracted to lights at night," she said. "And even if they are coming in through entryways, you can position a fan that blows outside to kind of help keep them from flying in."
Midges are weak flyers, so a simple fan can be an effective deterrent.
"They can easily get blown around in winds like this," Beshire added.
Cleveland's midge heroes
While they may be a nuisance, midges actually have a special place in Cleveland sports history.
Remember the 2007 playoff game between the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees?
"Several years ago, there was a great ... game where the midges were out and disrupting a playoff game," Beshire recalled. "They were helping the team to an extent by distracting the opposing team. ... Some local heroes helping us out."
Beyond playoff heroics, midges play an important ecological role.
"They play a really important role in the food chain," Beshire said. "Everything from other insects to bugs to fish, other birds, mammals -- everything will eat and take advantage of this ample food source right now."
While midges aren't as strong an indicator of water quality as mayflies, their presence is still a sign of a functioning lake ecosystem.
The good news: Adult midges only live for a few days after emerging. So this current swarm should die off relatively quickly.
However, new midges could continue to emerge as long as water and sediment temperatures stay warm enough -- around 60 degrees or higher.
When temperatures finally drop, midges don't just disappear.
"Midges will enter something called 'diapause,' where they are basically suspended in their animation," Beshire explained. "They're not eating, they're not really metabolizing -- they're just hanging out. It's a really cool adaptation where they can survive the winter till temperatures rise again for them to start their growth cycle."
Think of it as hibernation for bugs.
While dealing with swarms of insects isn't anyone's idea of fun, Beshire encourages keeping things in perspective.
"The great news is we've got wonderful warm weather," she said. "What a beautiful day."
So yes, there are midges, but there's also unseasonably gorgeous October weather. And that's worth appreciating, even if it comes with a few extra bugs.