Now that the lake is cleaner, the mayfly has made a comeback. They began returning along western Lake Erie in 1996. The pesky insects have a life expectancy of one or two days, sticking around just long enough to reproduce and bother people. A female mayfly can lay up to 8,000 eggs. The invasion begins in June and usually ends within a month.
Mayflies are about an inch or two long with paper-thin wings and big, beady eyes.
They don't bite, though. They're just plain gross. The mayflies are generally found in the shallow areas of western Lake Erie and its shores. Winds on the lake usually push them toward Ohio's shoreline, but this year the winds have been blowing toward Canada. Cities in Ontario were covered with mayflies earlier in June.