Muffleheads Invade Erie

By: Associated Press | NBC4i.com
Published: May 30, 2009

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SANDSUKY, Ohio
Lake Erie's summer invasion is under way again.

Pesky flying insects known as muffleheads are back swarming Ohio's shoreline and bugging visitors. The bugs are harmless, but sometimes swarm in large numbers and cling to windows, trees and fast-food signs.

Sandusky resident Jack Colvin says they are a nuisance for boaters and anyone who lives along the water.

The muffleheads are a sign of a healthier Lake Erie. They were killed off from the 1950s through the 1980s by high pollution levels that reduced oxygen in the lake.

Christine Mayer, program chair of the University of Toledo's Lake Erie Center, says fish love to eat muffleheads and so do birds skimming the water.

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