Subject: Bugs in snow (not fleas)
Location: Southeast Michigan
February 5, 2017 5:46 pm
Hi, we have swarms of these bugs in the snow around our house. My kids and I have scoured the internet, but we can’t find any information to identify them. My kids were so excited to have of our pictures featured on your site years ago when they were little of a cicada killer. Please help us again!! Thank you!
Signature: Lundy family
Dear Lundy Family,
We are thrilled to post your image of a Snowfly or Small Winter Stonefly in the family Capniidae, the first of the season, though we did just create our Snow Bugs tag for creatures active in winter months. According to BugGuide: “adults often seen on snow, or resting on concrete bridges over streams.” We suspect you are not in an industrial part of Michigan because Stonefly larvae are aquatic and they are generally only found in moving water like streams that are not polluted.
Cool, we are in the country, and have a large creek flowing through our property. Thanks!