Bug swarms reported in New Orleans, not mosquitoes

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Concerned callers have been reporting huge bug swarms in New Orleans.

Officials say that while the insects resemble mosquitoes, they are not.

"An inspection of the sites where the calls were coming from, namely around the Hayne Boulevard area in New Orleans East, revealed that the swarming insects were in fact non-biting midges," according to a city news release.

New Orleans' Mosquito and Termite Control Board issued a notification after "an unusual amount of phone calls from constituents" today.

Residents reported large numbers of what thought were mosquitoes or termite swarms clinging to the walls of houses, apartments, vehicles and vegetation in New Orleans East.

The release says the midges are a fly that superficially resembles mosquitoes.  

"Non-biting midges breed in water just like mosquitoes, but prefer polluted waters that are high in organic material. The larvae grow in the bottom of bodies of water, which may be lakes, ponds, streams, canals or even containers, and are usually red in color and are called bloodworms."

Authorities say the life cycle could take weeks, but once they are mature, they don't live long out of water.

"Because the adults do not feed, they die after only 3 to 5 days."

Officials say the insects perform an important role of cleaning water where other organisms have trouble surviving.

  • The larvae grow in the bottom of bodies of water, which may be lakes, ponds, streams, canals or even containers, and are usually red in color and are called bloodworms. Their blood contains haemoglobin and contains iron which gives them the red color, and allows them to survive in oxygen deficient water where other insects and other organisms have a hard time thriving. The larvae filter the organic debris out of the water.
  • The larval development may take several weeks depending on temperature, after which they turn to pupae and emerge as adults on the surface of the water. The adults mate in swarms soon after emerging from the pupae, after which they lay eggs on the water.

The release says that while midges emerging from these bodies of water can be a cause for concern, "there is absolutely no need to control them as they are not a health risk."

They plan to just let the swarms die off over a period of "a few days or weeks once the swarms die off."