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.