LIST: 5 reasons mayflies are nothing like giant mutated man-eating ants

When meteorologist Mark Johnson posted a radar image yesterday of a cloud of mayflies swarming over Lake Erie, it was almost intimidating, like something you'd see in a B-movie trailer foretelling a fight scene between mutated bugs and a clan of outmatched but gutsy Clevelanders.

One move that came to mind is 1977's Empire of the Ants (what do you mean you've never seen it?!) But before you stock up on bunker supplies and take cover, there is really no reason to fear mayflies.

Here are five reasons a swarm of mayflies are so nothing like the ants of 1977 B-movie fame.

PIC: Soooo this swarm of bugs is so thick you can see it on radar?

So that blob on the weather radar? It's not a storm. It's a swarm.

WEWS Chief Meteorologist Mark "Still not a foul" Johnson shared this photo via Twitter last night:

Yes... Those are millions of mayflies showing up on Power of 5 Radar. Details: http://t.co/t2q8MReSV6 @MarkJWeather pic.twitter.com/quJaaqcrmj

— WEWS NewsChannel5 (@WEWS) June 24, 2015

Seriously? Enough mayflies out over the lake that the mass is visible ON RADAR? Yes, and it's common.

Mark wrote up a good explanation of mayflies and their mating habits, including a mention of what their presence across Ohio's north coast means for water quality. These insects are a sign that water quality is good, and their reappearance each season shows that Lake Erie's health has improved in recent decades.

So while challenges to Lake Erie remain, these bugs are nothing to be scared of. Unless of course they rise up against humanity.

PIC: Just your normal everyday swarm of bugs so thick you can see it on radar

Courtesy Ryan Wichman, WTOL Toledo

This is not a thunderstorm warning. It's not a weather alert or special report.

It's just bugs. Lots and lots...and lots...of (harmless, but yes annoying) bugs over Lake Erie near Toledo.

BLOG: Midges vs. mayflies: Let's clear the air and the confusion

Midges, mayflies, muckelheads, this can all be very confusing. And all of them can be very annoying. We'd like to help clarify a bit of the current bug conundrum.

Let's start here: There are midges (also known as muckleheads), and there are mayflies. They are different, but they're both related to the quality of our Great Lake.

Midges and muckleheads

The shores of Lake Erie have been teeming with these little guys lately—muckleheads. Fox 8 meteorologist Scott Sabol has shared a few updates over the last week.

twitter.com/scottsabolfox8

We verified his total. He was off by three.

But what are these pesky buggers? These are known as muckleheads or midges. Or if you want to impress friends, call them Chironomidae.

WIkipedia

They hatch over Lake Erie in the spring and fall and make their way inland. They don't bite and they're not harmful, but they can still be a nuisance during a beach barbeque. According to our Senior Investigator Ron Maichle, they are organisms of interest because they have varying tolerance of pollution. The Sewer District does collect macroinvertebrates to study water quality, but we do not study the adult midge population.