Annoying Swarms Of Non-Biting Midges Plague North Bay
NOVATO (CBS SF) -- Pesky, flying insects are swarming parts of the North Bay, causing headaches and concerns for many who live there.
The insects are called midges and they are out en masse.
"There's nothing, then all of a sudden there's hundreds of them and I ride through them," said Novato resident and cyclist Bonnie Miller.
They look like mosquitoes and swarm in large numbers.
The insects are worrying North Bay residents with their numbers. Marin Sonoma Vector control has gotten so many calls about the midges that they're reaching out to folks, trying to calm their concern.
"There's a lot of insects swarming around They are all over cars and walls and in your face," explained Jason Sequeira of Marin Sonoma Mosquito Vector Control. "But don't worry because they are just non-biting midges."
The swarms will last about a month or two, vector control says.
Midges breed like mosquitoes in wetland areas and are over-populous thanks to this season's big rains. Once things start to dry out, the bugs will go with it. But until then you might just take a few to the face like Miller.
"It's hard to ride my bike, she said. Today I brought sunglasses because they just all get in my eyes."