“Everywhere”, is kind of a big place but there were enough of them congregating on a bridge in eastern Iowa last Saturday that authorities had to shut it down and bring in some serious bug-whacking firepower to scrape them off.
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Teena Franzen, a Sabula city council member, was on a police ride-along when they got the call and responded to the swarm.
Iowa Department of Transportion officials posted a video of the encounter on the Savanna/Sabula bridge on their Facebook page over the weekend, noting that the insects are at the height of their hatching season on the Mississippi.
“I’ve lived in Sabula since ’75. I’ve never seen that many before, ever”, said Sabula resident Teena Franzen.
A pair of motorcycles lost traction trying to move through the piles of mayflies. “And then Illinois plowed their side”, Thayer added.
Stephen Thayer, a reserve officer with the Sabula Police Department, told WQAD that the bugs “were probably piled knee high” in front of the cars, likely attracted by the vehicles’ headlights.
The road and bridge are now back open, but the lights have been turned off to help keep the bugs away.
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Thankfully no one was hurt as a result of the swarm, though two motorcyclists came to minor grief in the slippery conditions.
