Many residents of the Big Apple complain about the presence of many insects in the city. Videos on social media show large swarms.
Like an end of the world feeling. After being hit by heavy smoke due to the violent fires which affected their Canadian neighbor, the inhabitants of New York, in the United States, are now victims of an invasion of insects, reports American media.
Swarms of small insects
This week, many New Yorkers had the unpleasant surprise of seeing swarms of unusual insects in the sky of the Big Apple. The first testimonies emerged on Wednesday, according to the New York edition of ABC, with some residents talking about midge-like insects on social media.
“Swarms of green midges are invading New York City,” resident Tyler Donaghy tweeted.
Another has the bad idea of getting on his bike in the middle of New York this week and sees many insects come to nest in his beard and stick to his t-shirt, as he shows in a video posted on the social network Instagram .
Very quickly, residents are panicked at the sight of these clouds of unknown insects. “Can someone explain to me what is happening right now in New York with these mosquitoes/midges?”, worries a surfer, also on two wheels.
Aphids?
According to New York Timeswho interviewed entomology professor Corrie Moreau, from Cornell University, these critters are probably simple aphids, not dangerous for humans.
“It’s unusual that there are so many aphids flying in swarms this year”, admits the biologist to the daily.
While some Internet users wonder if the presence of these insects is linked to recent smoke from Canada, the scientist believes that this astonishing phenomenon is explained by the “mild winter” that the Big Apple is experiencing this year.
Indeed, due to the exceptionally high temperatures during the winter months and the very rainy spring, the plants, on which the aphids feed, grew faster than usual, which would have encouraged the insects to reproduce in a way earlier. For another entomologist, Kim Adams, of the public university of New York, the presence of strong winds could also explain the phenomenon. For her, the fumes probably have no connection with the arrival of insects.
‘Not a threat’
“While they can be annoying, these insects do not pose a threat to public health,” said the New York City Department of Health in a statement.
“We are looking into these insects and we will share any important health information,” he said.
“Like most things, it will stop as quickly as it happened,” said entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann in The Guardian.
Source: BFM TV
