Mayflies

Mayflies are also called shadflies and lake flies. They are aquatic insects and contribute to the food source for fish and reptiles.  

They get their name because they emerge during the month of May. They are found in the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Since 2015, they have also been reported to be in Central American countries and Mexico. 

Their color varies but basically, it's pretty dull in hue. They have clear wings due to their diet. They don't eat rich foods and they don't eat on a schedule.  They eat whatever they can, whenever they can.

Mayflies have a short lifespan

They have six legs and two or three tails that are often longer than the entire length of their bodies which is about one inch long.  

Mayflies are part of an ancient group called Palaeoptera.  In that group are also dragonflies and damselflies.  There are over 3000 species of mayflies worldwide.  

You can get a better idea of the size of the Mayfly in this picture showing a mayfly sitting on a human fingernail.

Look how little it is!  Fits on a fingernail.

Mayflies are more active during the warm months and can be somewhat of a pest. If your property is infested with mayflies, there's only so much you can do on your own.  It's probably best to hire a professional pest control company to get rid of them.

They don't sting or bite but because they are attracted by light, they swarm at night around lighted buildings which can alarm some people.

You can change your indoor and outdoor lightbulbs to only yellow bulbs which will lessen their attraction to bright white light. Keep screens in your windows and storm doors, and seal any gaps or cracks because they can get into the home via the smallest of gaps.

 

Life Span

Mayflies spend their juvenile life (one to three years) as water crawlers and they spend their much shorter adult life in the air and on land. 

Once they leave the water, they dry off for one or two days to shed their skin, then fly away to mate. Male mayflies die right after mating. Females die after they lay their eggs.

Their incredibly short life span makes one wonder why they exist at all.  The answer is because they are a valuable part of the food chain for fish and humans in several ways:  

- because they live in streams, ponds, shallow lakes, and rivers, they are used to monitor water quality;

- the energy that is stored in algae and other aquatic plants is prepared by mayflies so it can be a food source for fish, birds, and other invertebrates;

- they are a vital source of food for over 225 species of fish, toads, frogs, some reptiles, and birds. 

- they are also a food source for humans in at least ten countries where whole communities gather to collect them. They either eaten raw, or they are sun-dried, then ground into flour to make cakes and bread.   

The mayfly life cycle begins and ends with reproduction. It is the only insect that has two adult stages. The first stage is sexually immature until it emerges from the water. In the final stage, mayflies molt, reproduce, then die.

Sources: 

Pestworld's Pest Guide
Purdue Department of Entomology 
Maine.gov
The Chesapeake Bay Program

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The Deadly Dare

In 2010 Sam Ballard, a 20-year-old aspiring Australian rugby player, was at a party with friends. He was dared to swallow a live slug from the garden, and Sam took the dare. His friends later said he seemed unaffected because he didn't get sick or act any differently after swallowing the slug.  

Slugs are not meant to be eaten

A few days after swallowing the slug, Sam started getting pains in his legs. He was vomiting and he complained of dizziness.  His family took him to the hospital where he only got worse and worse. After doctors ran tests, it turned out that it wasn't just any old slug that he swallowed. 


This one had a parasite called rat lungworm which the slug probably picked up from eating rat droppings. 


Rat lungworm infection can progress into bacterial meningitis, causing symptoms like dizziness, headaches, nausea, weird sensations in arms and legs, brain damage and, eventually, paralysis.  


Within a few hours after arriving at the hospital, Sam lapsed into a coma. He was placed in a nursing home because he required 24/7 care.    While in a coma, Australia's National Disability Insurance cut off his benefits. 


His family took his story to the media and they requested donations to pay for his care. The donations trickled in. When Sam finally woke up from coma 420 days later, he learned his career aspirations to be a rugby player were crushed because he was permanently paralyzed from the neck down.  

After much media publicity, the Australian government reversed their decision but they only approved him for half the money of what his previous benefit had been. 

On the left, Sam Ballard at present day. On the right, Sam Ballard during his heyday.

After 8 years of dealing with seizures, infections, paralysis, pressure sores and other symptoms, Sam Ballard died on November 2, 2018, at age 28. 


Your takeaways from this story: 

1 - Teach your children to use common sense when accepting a dare.  

2 - If the dare calls for eating something that isn't on your regular diet, don't do it. 

3 - Never eat, swallow or handle anything that could be carrying a parasite - like slugs, snails, land crabs, freshwater shrimp, or frogs to name a few.  

4 - Don't eat or handle vegetables that are grown in a slug's environment.  

5 - Wash your hands often if you come into contact with any of the above mentioned.

6 - Inspect your eating utensils and make sure they are thoroughly clean when they have been in contact with frogs, snails, slugs, etc. 


Sources: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/11/05/young-rugby-player-ate-slug-mates-dare-now-hes-dead



The boys who dared Sam
https://www.mamamia.com.au/sam-ballards-life-changed-after-slug/



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