Mayflies are fascinating insects with a unique life cycle. These delicate creatures have an adult lifespan of just a few hours to a couple of days, primarily focusing on reproduction before dying. However, due to their large numbers when they emerge, they can become a nuisance, especially if they invade your home or garden.
To tackle a mayfly infestation, it’s crucial to understand their biology and habits. They are usually found near water sources, such as rivers, lakes, and ponds, as they lay their eggs in water. When they emerge as adults, they swarm over land, searching for mates. After mating, the females return to the water to lay their eggs before dying, beginning the cycle anew.
Getting rid of mayflies can be challenging, but there are practical steps homeowners can take to minimize their presence and prevent them from becoming a major problem. In this article, we will explore various methods and techniques that will help you keep mayflies at bay and maintain a comfortable living environment.
Understanding Mayflies
Lifecycle
Mayflies have a unique lifecycle among insects, as they possess a subimago stage between their larval and adult forms 1. This stage is active and mobile, marking the transition to the mature adult, or imago.
Appearance
Mayfly larvae, also known as naiads or nymphs, are slender and soft-bodied, with notable differences from adults 2. These differences include:
- No wings
- An array of leaf-like or feathery gills on their abdomen
- Smaller eyes than adults
- Often, a flattened head for adherence to rocks in fast-flowing water
Habitat
These delicate insects are found in freshwater environments worldwide, except for Antarctica and a few remote islands 3. They play a crucial role in the aquatic ecosystems they inhabit.
Diet
In their larval stage, mayflies consume a variety of organic matter, including decaying leaves and other debris. Adult mayflies lack functional mouthparts and do not feed 4.
| Characteristics | Larval Stage (Nymphs) | Adult Stage (Imago) |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding Habits | Eat organic matter | Do not eat |
| Appearance | No wings, gills | Presence of wings |
| Habitat | Freshwater | Freshwater |
| Importance to Ecosystem | Food for predators, recycle nutrients | Mate and reproduce |
Footnotes
8 Comments. Leave new
The reason there are wings on the shed exuvia is because mayflies are the only insect with a winged sub-adult stage, called a subimago, or dun. The subimago emerges from the aquatic larva, then flies to a resting place, and shortly after (hours to a day) emerges as a full adult, also called an imago or spinner. Subimagos can be distinguished from the adults by their hairy, cloudy wings, while adults have clear, transparent wings.
Thanks so much for this concise explanation of the unique metamorphosis of the Mayfly.
YES!! Thank you bug man.. we have always had mayflies in New England, but clearly, very few of us have seen them as adults, or ever adult enough to shed during their second molt.. Yup, You ROCK!!
Thank you again,
Paula
YES!! Thank you bug man.. we have always had mayflies in New England, but clearly, very few of us have seen them as adults, or ever adult enough to shed during their second molt.. Yup, You ROCK!!
Thank you again,
Paula
Okay, correct me if I am wrong, but the Mayflies only molt once as Adults, yes? Once from the larvae into an adult winged form (Dun form), and then the second molt into the full adult form (Spinner form). So only one molt as a winged “adult” entity. No?
But still the only insect to molt after achieving wings…
http://www.mayflynews.net/facts.html
You are correct. Mayfly naiads emerge from the water and molt into winged Duns and shortly afterwards, they molt a second time into full adults, which do not feed and only live a few days, hence the name of the order Ephemeroptera. This is a very curious double winged molting, and one can only wonder why the need to have two molts in rapid succession evolved. Molting occurs in insects because insects feed and grow and their exoskeleton does not grow with them. Once they leave the water, Mayflies no longer feed, so they no longer grow.
Okay, correct me if I am wrong, but the Mayflies only molt once as Adults, yes? Once from the larvae into an adult winged form (Dun form), and then the second molt into the full adult form (Spinner form). So only one molt as a winged “adult” entity. No?
But still the only insect to molt after achieving wings…
http://www.mayflynews.net/facts.html
Do the bite or sting? I’ve never heard of this bug. Thank you!