A man named Martin DuPain returned home from a short walk to find himself covered in tiny flying critters. They were all over his hair, shirt, and even his nose. When he sneezed, bugs flew out.
In addition to the smoke and haze brought in by wildfires in Canada, New York City is now dealing with an invasion of flying insects. People are curious about these bugs—what are they, where did they come from, and will they go away? It almost feels like an unwanted Canadian export.
At first, DuPain thought it was wind-driven ash, but he soon realized that some of the bugs were alive and flying. He quickly jumped in the shower to get rid of them.
The situation has been described as a “gnatural disaster” on Twitter, where reports of bug swarms in some neighborhoods have been circulating.
Professor David Lohman, an entomologist, believes the bugs are winged aphids based on photos and videos on social media. Aphids are small insects that come in various colors and are common throughout the United States, including New York City. However, the swarms are unusual for this time of year, and Lohman speculates that warm winter temperatures may have disrupted their biological clock.
On Friday, Lohman reached out to aphid experts for more insight on the swarms. Experts explained that aphids fly at all times of the growing season and produce winged morphs to disperse when a colony gets too large. The wildfires and extreme temperatures could be influencing their behavior.
The New York City Public Health Department reassured the public that these bugs do not pose a health risk. They are looking into the situation and will provide any relevant health information.
The bug experts believe that the swarms will not last much longer, which is a relief for people like Jeremy Cohen, who experienced the bugs while riding his bike in Brooklyn. Despite the annoyance, Lohman sees the presence of these aphids as a positive sign that New York City is organic and has minimal pesticide use.
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