Printable View
Yesterday I saw several thick swarms of small bugs south of Klamath Lake just north of the Calif border just before sun down. They were above trees and a small creek or river along the highway. They were in columns about 6 - 8 inches across and probably 6 to 8 feet tall in their formation. I had not seen anything like it before, and was wanted to ask about what kind of bugs they were. Unfortunately it was not possible to stop to get any photos. Any ideas?
If they were fluttering around and looked liked small moths, they were probably caddis. If they were smaller and bobbing more or less straight up and down, most likely they mayfly spinners, getting ready to die and land on the water. Hard to know for certain, but those are some general behaviors of those kinds of insects.
Klamath little green midge (chironomus utahenis). Sometimes you can't drive by the lake without stopping to wash your car window.
Yep, midge. Sometimes along the causeways you can see them clouding off regular intervals and at the tops of trees.