Clouds of tiny flying black insects, known as midges, are causing frustration around Toronto’s waterways.

A video captured by Pat O’Rourke shows him covered head to toe in midges as he biked over the bridge by Roncesvalles and Queensway.

“There’s just swarms of midges everywhere … you kinda get used to them, though. They are harmless, but it can be annoying, so just keep your mouth closed if you’re biking or running or something like that,” shared O’Rourke.

Anywhere across the city near waterways over the next few weeks, you may find yourself surrounded by midges, but it’s not expected to last too much longer.

“The midges that are flying right now are non-biting midges and they’re such an important part of our ecosystem,” shared Antonia Guidotti, an entomologist with Royal Ontario Museum. “They are food for fish, they’re food for other insects in the water, water fowl, frogs, and when they emerge, they are food also for birds and bats.”

The swarms that you see in the air that sometimes end up covering your clothing or getting into your mouth are male midges circling around, waiting for a female.

“When the females enter the swarm, they have many males to choose from, so it’s very advantageous for a particular species to all
swarm together so that they have more of a chance of reproducing,” Guidotti explained.

Midges are found near water because they rely on those environments for their life cycle. They develop in the bottom of lakes, rivers, and ponds. They emerge by these spots to mate and fulfill their very short lifespans of only three to 10 days.

There’s no real way to fight these midge swarms. If you live near the water, the advice is to keep your windows closed and turn off your
porch lights, which can attract insects.

The city should be hitting peak midge season over the next couple of weeks, but these little bugs should be gone by the end of May.