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China: Swarming Insects Create Ominous Scene Under City Lights in Hunan

This video, captured in Hunan on September 7, shows a troubling nighttime scene where swarms of flying insects gathered in massive clusters, forming a dense, dark cloud under the city lights. Experts explained online that these were not locusts but rather whiteflies or planthoppers.

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Japan: Massive Swarms of Flying Ants Reported in Hokkaido

On Monday evening, August 11, massive swarms of flying ants were reported in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Restaurants and other businesses responded by turning off lights.

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World Exposition in Osaka hit by swarms of bugs

Swarms of chironomids, informally known as non-biting midges or lake flies, are seen at the site of the World Exposition in Osaka on May 21, 2025.

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World Exposition in Osaka hit by swarms of bugs

Swarms of chironomids, informally known as non-biting midges or lake flies, are seen at the site of the World Exposition in Osaka on May 21, 2025.

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Brazil: Sea of Fans Swarms Copacabana Beach for Free Lady Gaga Concert

A large crowd flocked to Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on Saturday, May 3 for Lady Gaga's free concert, a part of a promotional tour for the American pop idol's eighth album, Mayhem.

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China: Dazzling Sunset Overwhelmed By Swarms Of Gnats In Qiqihar

On September 21, 2024, in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China, a video captured a beautiful yet unsettling scene during sunset. The golden evening light bathed the ground, creating a stunning view, but the air was filled with countless tiny gnats swarming everywhere. The sheer number of insects, densely packed and hovering in the air, created a sight that could easily trigger discomfort for those with a fear of clusters. Chinese netizens joked that running through the swarm with an electric mosquito swatter would create a satisfying buzz.

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China: Swarms Of Mayflies Cluster Around Bridge In Changde, Hunan

On September 1, 2024, in Changde, a city in Hunan Province in central China, a video captured a swarm of moths clustering around the Yuanshui Bridge on a dark night. According to local media reports, this is the nuptial flight during the mayfly breeding season, with large numbers of mayflies gathering on the bridge where there are lights, creating a snow-like spectacle. Insect carcasses piled up on the bridge up to 5 centimeters deep, and traffic on the bridge was paralyzed for a while due to slippery road surface. The local agricultural department introduced mayflies as a kind of beneficial insects, which belong to a link of the biological chain of the lake zone. Their massive appearance indicates that the ecological environment of local waters continues to improve.

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China: School Of Fish Leaps Out Of Water During Heavy Rainfall In Shenyang, Liaoning

On July 26, 2024, a fascinating natural spectacle unfolded in Shenyang, Liaoning, in northeastern China. As a steady rain poured down, creating large ripples across a local lake, a group of fish began to energetically leap from the water. The sight of the numerous fish jumping amidst the raindrops captivated onlookers. Social media users in China expressed their amusement and wonder at the scene, with comments suggesting the fish seemed so excited by the rain that they were attempting to jump out of the lake, humorously proposing that it might be a good time to catch a few.

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China: Flying Insects Cluster Over Trees To Look Like Smoke In Shandong

A visitor used a drone to capture a miraculous scene of plenty of flying insects clustering over the trees which looks like smoke in eastern China. Video filmed in Fulong Lake in Heze City, Shandong Province, on May 28, 2024, shows the swarms forming “tornadoes” over the trees. Reportedly, this might be a natural phenomenon called "Mosquito tornado" which can be commonly seen during the rainy season. It occurs when male mosquitoes swarm around a group of female mosquitoes for mating.

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XINHUA PHOTOS OF THE DAY

(240217) -- BEIJING, Feb. 17, 2024 (Xinhua) -- A girl has fun at Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 15, 2024. The Harbin Ice-Snow World, a renowned ice-and-snow theme park that attracted swarms of visitors during the current winter travel boom, officially closed for the season on Thursday due to rising temperatures. According to the theme park, it received 2.71 million visits during the 61-day operation. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

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CHINA-HEILONGJIANG-HARBIN-ICE AND SNOW WORLD-CLOSING (CN)

(240216) -- HARBIN, Feb. 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- A drone photo taken on Feb. 15, 2024 shows tourists queuing for experiencing a huge slide at Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The Harbin Ice-Snow World, a renowned ice-and-snow theme park that attracted swarms of visitors during the current winter travel boom, officially closed for the season on Thursday due to rising temperatures. According to the theme park, it received 2.71 million visits during the 61-day operation. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

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CHINA-HEILONGJIANG-HARBIN-ICE AND SNOW WORLD-CLOSING (CN)

(240216) -- HARBIN, Feb. 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- People enjoy their time at Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 14, 2024. The Harbin Ice-Snow World, a renowned ice-and-snow theme park that attracted swarms of visitors during the current winter travel boom, officially closed for the season on Thursday due to rising temperatures. According to the theme park, it received 2.71 million visits during the 61-day operation. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

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CHINA-HEILONGJIANG-HARBIN-ICE AND SNOW WORLD-CLOSING (CN)

(240216) -- HARBIN, Feb. 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- People pose for a photo at Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 15, 2024. The Harbin Ice-Snow World, a renowned ice-and-snow theme park that attracted swarms of visitors during the current winter travel boom, officially closed for the season on Thursday due to rising temperatures. According to the theme park, it received 2.71 million visits during the 61-day operation. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

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CHINA-HEILONGJIANG-HARBIN-ICE AND SNOW WORLD-CLOSING (CN)

(240216) -- HARBIN, Feb. 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- People visit Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 15, 2024. The Harbin Ice-Snow World, a renowned ice-and-snow theme park that attracted swarms of visitors during the current winter travel boom, officially closed for the season on Thursday due to rising temperatures. According to the theme park, it received 2.71 million visits during the 61-day operation. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

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CHINA-HEILONGJIANG-HARBIN-ICE AND SNOW WORLD-CLOSING (CN)

(240216) -- HARBIN, Feb. 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- A girl enjoys her time at Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 15, 2024. The Harbin Ice-Snow World, a renowned ice-and-snow theme park that attracted swarms of visitors during the current winter travel boom, officially closed for the season on Thursday due to rising temperatures. According to the theme park, it received 2.71 million visits during the 61-day operation. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

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CHINA-HEILONGJIANG-HARBIN-ICE AND SNOW WORLD-CLOSING (CN)

(240216) -- HARBIN, Feb. 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 15, 2024 shows people visiting Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The Harbin Ice-Snow World, a renowned ice-and-snow theme park that attracted swarms of visitors during the current winter travel boom, officially closed for the season on Thursday due to rising temperatures. According to the theme park, it received 2.71 million visits during the 61-day operation. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

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An Ecological Wetland in Hefei

HEFEI, CHINA - DECEMBER 9, 2023 - Swarms of Eurasian spoonbills inhabit an ecological wetland in Hefei, Anhui province, China, December 9, 2023.

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An Ecological Wetland in Hefei

HEFEI, CHINA - DECEMBER 9, 2023 - Swarms of Eurasian spoonbills inhabit an ecological wetland in Hefei, Anhui province, China, December 9, 2023.

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An Ecological Wetland in Hefei

HEFEI, CHINA - DECEMBER 9, 2023 - Swarms of Eurasian spoonbills inhabit an ecological wetland in Hefei, Anhui province, China, December 9, 2023.

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An Ecological Wetland in Hefei

HEFEI, CHINA - DECEMBER 9, 2023 - Swarms of Eurasian spoonbills inhabit an ecological wetland in Hefei, Anhui province, China, December 9, 2023.

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An Ecological Wetland in Hefei

HEFEI, CHINA - DECEMBER 9, 2023 - Swarms of Eurasian spoonbills inhabit an ecological wetland in Hefei, Anhui province, China, December 9, 2023.

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Okinawa, Australia to cooperate in reducing starfish

NAHA, Japan - Hidefumi Toma (L), head of the Okinawa prefectural government's ecological life department, and Jamie Oliver, research director of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, shake hands in Naha on March 5, 2014, after concluding an agreement on cooperation to get rid of the swarms of crown-of-thorns starfish that threaten corals in seas around Okinawa.

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Lawmaker says Japan has swarms of S. Korean prostitutes

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Shingo Nishimura, a lower house lawmaker of the opposition Japan Restoration Party. Nishimura said "there are swarms of South Korean prostitutes in Japan" during a meeting of lawmakers from the party on May 17, 2013. He retracted the comments later that day saying it was "inappropriate to mention the name of South Korea" and submitted a letter stating his intention to leave the party.

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Pests pose menace in rubble-strewn northeastern Japan

SENDAI, Japan - A worker sprinkles pesticide in a rice paddy to exterminate flies in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on June 30, 2011. Three prefectures hardest hit by the March earthquake and tsunami -- Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima -- are waging a major battle against swarms of flies and mosquitoes that have emerged out of filthy puddles and waste left in the wake of the disaster.

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Chinese scientists develop trajectory planning system for collision-free flight of drone swarms

STORY: Chinese scientists develop trajectory planning system for collision-free flight of drone swarms DATELINE: May 6, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:46 LOCATION: HANGZHOU, China CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the smart drones flying STORYLINE: Chinese scientists have developed a new flight path planning system that can help miniature, fully autonomous drone swarms fly smartly through crowded forests, without collisions. The planning system enabled 10 aerial robots to collectively maneuver unhindered through a cluttered bamboo forest and find the most efficient flight path, according to the study published Thursday in the journal Science Robotics. Inspired by how flocks of birds can flexibly coordinate their collective flight paths, the researchers from Zhejiang University designed a trajectory planning method that processes data from onboard sensors and incorporates collision avoidance, flight efficiency, and swarm coordination to optimize swarm flying within a few milliseconds. The fleet o

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Pests pose menace in rubble-strewn northeastern Japan

SENDAI, Japan - A worker sprinkles pesticide in a rice paddy to exterminate flies in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on June 30, 2011. Three prefectures hardest hit by the March earthquake and tsunami -- Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima -- are waging a major battle against swarms of flies and mosquitoes that have emerged out of filthy puddles and waste left in the wake of the disaster. (Kyodo)

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Pests pose menace in rubble-strewn northeastern Japan

ONAGAWA, Japan - A woman holds a fly swatter at an evacuation facility in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 2, 2011. Three prefectures hardest hit by the March earthquake and tsunami -- Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima -- are waging a major battle against swarms of flies and mosquitoes that have emerged out of filthy puddles and waste left in the wake of the disaster. (Kyodo)

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