Subject: yellow bugs in kansas lake bathrooms
Location: kansas
August 2, 2012 5:28 am
They climb on walls and fly. They act a lot like moths but are very easy to catch.
Signature: amber
Hi Amber,
This insect is a Mayfly in the insect order Ephemeroptera. We believe based on its size and color, it is a Golden Mayfly in the genus Hexagenia, and it might also be called a Giant Mayfly or a Burrowing Mayfly. According to BugGuide they are: “Very large mayflies. Usually pale golden yellow at least when freshly emerged, i.e., subimago.” BugGuide also notes: “Adults emerge in evening, disperse widely, coming to lights–often far from bodies of water.” The proximity of the bathrooms to the lakes and the lights at night are solid reasons why these Golden Mayflies are congregating at the bathrooms. This individual is a subimago. Mayflies are the only insects known to molt while in the winged form, and the initial molt from nymph to winged adult is called the subimago. A second molt occurs soon after and the Mayfly is in its fully adult, reproductive form.