Will Midges Be Pestering People This Year?
Will Midges Be Pestering People This Year?
On October fifth, 2007 a swarm of midges may have changed the history of baseball. That night the Yankees were playing the Cleveland Indians. The swarm of tiny bugs were midges, and they began to interfere with the game by pestering the Yankees pitcher. The Indians beat the Yankees that night, and there is no doubt that the midges helped the Indians reach victory. Ten years passed and the Yankees never returned to Cleveland, until recently. After a ten year absence, the Yankees are back in Cleveland. Hopefully, midges will not interfere with the Yankee’s performance this time.
According to expert Jessica L. Ross there is no way to predict whether or not midges will be a problem. Early climatic changes can bring about strange insect behaviors. Ross lives in a region of America where forty different midge species also reside. Midges tend to form swarms once during the spring season and once during the fall season. The swarming behavior demonstrated by different types of midges is closely related to mate-seeking behavior. Midges only form large swarms when they are attempting to reproduce. Midge swarms are actually mating displays. Male midges will collectively surround certain objects. Midges commonly form swarms around light poles, puddles of water and, apparently, major league baseball pitchers. The swarming male midges are attempting to impress the females.
Midges are interesting insects. Midges can be found all over the globe. In fact, even the freezing cold continent of Antarctica is home to one particular type of midge. These polar midges do not have wings, as Antarctica’s strong winds would render wings useless. Along Lake Erie, midges tend to swarm once the lake’s temperature has reached sixty degrees fahrenheit. Once fall rolls around, midges will swarm one last time once the lake’s temperature drops back down to sixty degrees fahrenheit. Luckily, midges are harmless, but don’t say that to anybody who plays for the Yankees.
Have you ever witnessed a swarm of midges? Did the midges pester you as they were swarming?
