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Bugs at Chatsworth

BenCottoBenCotto RutlandPosts: 1,173
in Wildlife gardening
At the Chatsworth Flower Show on Wednesday I saw swarms of giant gnat-like creatures flying below the trees in the car park. Ugly looking spuds. Anyone know what they are?
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Posts

  • FireFire LondonPosts: 6,224
    Horse flies? ugg.
  • BenCottoBenCotto RutlandPosts: 1,173
    Thanks, Fire but no. More googling leads me to think they were mayflies. Zillions of them.
  • FireFire LondonPosts: 6,224
    Was there water nearby?
  • wild edgeswild edges The north west of south east WalesPosts: 4,717
    St Mark's flies might still be gathering at this time of year.
  • BenCottoBenCotto RutlandPosts: 1,173
    Not those either, WE. These were more like mosquitoes on steroids. The trees were close to the R. Derwent so mayflies seem likely.
  • pansyfacepansyface PEAK DISTRICT DerbyshirePosts: 16,656
    edited June 2019
    Mayflies.
    They come in different sizes.
    We have a lot of them in our garden just now and they are a welcome snack for the fish.
    I like them. They are a sign that it’s summer, even if the weather tries to tell us otherwise.😊

    More information about mayflies:

    https://www.first-nature.com/insects/index-e.php
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 5,516
    What time of day was it? If it was into evening they may have been July bugs (cock chafers). I was at a concert once when a swarm arrived and had the audience screaming & flapping around. The band stopped playing and ran for cover. I think a lot of people thought they were bees....
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • pansyfacepansyface PEAK DISTRICT DerbyshirePosts: 16,656
    Yes, we have the chafer beetles here too, TB, but you hear them coming!

    I still think it’s mayflies. Perhaps Picidae was lucky to see a lot of them. From The Guardian:
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
  • BenCottoBenCotto RutlandPosts: 1,173
    We saw them as we were leaving, about 4.00 pm. There were clouds of them below the trees in the disabled parking area. A couple got into the car with us and surfaced again about 20 minutes later so we ushered them out of the open window. They’ll have a long journey home! Without question they were mayflies, exactly as shown in the photo above but darker in colour.
  • Bright starBright star Wrea GreenPosts: 738
    I went to Chatsworth last year and there were lots of Mayflies that time too.
    Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.

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