Fish fly mania

Every growing season is unique and brings something you’ve never seen before. Our farmyard is on the edge of a saline slough called Boggy Lake. The “lake” has been dry most of the past 20 years. Often we’re driving across it by this point in the spring. This year, the lake is higher than I’ve ever seen and along the edge, particularly in my farmyard, the fish flies are nothing short of amazing. On a quiet day, they form columns into the sky that you can see from a mile away. They’re often so thick that it looks like a dust storm or a dirty blizzard. Thankfully, they don’t bite, but you need to keep your mouth closed walking across the yard. The grass looks black rather than green due to the flies clinging to the ground. The population built up quickly going from a few in sheltered grassy areas to numbers that are in epic proportions. I suspect the population may crash as quickly as it built. Unfortunately, the mosquito population is probably going to keep building and building. Is anyone else experiencing a fish fly invasion this year? I’m Kevin Hursh.