Lake Flies!

The annual lake fly hatch is in full swing around Devil’s Lake. The flies started to appear last Sunday and have now reached epic “cloud” stage. The flies complete their full life cycle in about 2 weeks, until then you may not want to hike on the Tumbled Rocks trail or anywhere along the lakeshore!

Here are a few quick bits for you…

• Lake flies are NOT Mayflies (They are two different critters. Mayflies are much bigger!)
• Lake flies do NOT bite.
• Bug spray won’t deter lake flies.
• Wind will keep the lake flies down near the ground.
• Lake flies hatch in Lake Winnebago and are an issue in High Cliff State Park as well.
• Lake flies are a major food source for fish, birds, bats, etc. About 95% will be eaten before the die-off.
• Males have big fuzzy antennae, females do not. (So you can tell the difference if you get close enough!)
• Lake flies have no mouths! They only live between 7 and 21 days.

Learn more from the UW The Science & Stories of the Center for Limnology Blog here.

More? Read Biology and Control of Non-Biting Aquatic Midges from NC State Extention.

Derrick Mayoleth

For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.