(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Biting flies have been creating horrible conditions on Lake Michigan Beaches in northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan this week.
The Indiana Dunes National Park posted a warning on Facebook: “Caution: There has been an outbreak of biting flies.”
Supervisory Park Ranger Bruce Rowe said staff at the national park noticed a large increase in the number of biting flies along some of the eastern beaches about one week ago. They also heard from some visitors.
Rowe said a ranger who’s been at the park for more than 30 years has never seen them this bad. People are talking on social media, with one post describing families with crying kids running from the beach.
Chris Semeniuk wrote: “Took the grandbabies. Horrible! Twenty flies all over the two-year-old. We ran out of there, as well as other families with crying kids.”
Tiffany Kappel said she lasted five minutes.
Alyssa Workman described the biting flies as horrible
“They swarm you and never leave,” Workman said. “Followed us into the car and everything.”
Some on social media suggested that individuals use bug spray. One respondent said the bug spray “made them worse.”
WBBM’s own Rachel Pierson, who was in southwest Michigan earlier this week, said she experienced the same.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I prefer the cicadas,” Pierson said.
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