The Ely Timberjay reports, HERE, that this year’s mayfly hatch on Lake Vermilion was one of epic proportions.
Hatches of the short-lived native species are normal in mid-summer, but this year’s hatch of the insects called for extra measures to remove the piles of dead creatures.
At the McKinley Park Campground on Lake Vermilion, an estimated 35 cubic yards of dead mayflies were removed from the swimming beach in the recent days — the equivalent of three dump-truck loads!
Mayflies live, in water, for months and sometimes years in the naiad or nymph metamophic stage. After they morph into their recognizable winged form, they live only a matter of hours, cheifly to lay eggs.