The ten plagues of NYC! Horrified New Yorkers share clips of aphids nesting in their hair and beards after more Canadian wildfire smoke hits the Big Apple
- Three weeks after suffocating smoke from Canadian wildfires engulfed the city, a plague of tiny black flying bugs has descended on New York City
- New Yorkers filmed the swarm of tiny, unidentified beetles, which some speculated might belong to the pyrophilic or “fire-loving” species
- The tiny bugs got caught in people’s hair and in some cases their beards, arriving along with another, lighter plume of smoke from Canada
Tiny aphids have arrived along with a lighter plume of smoke from Canadian wildfires, and horrified New Yorkers have shared snaps of the insects burrowed in their hair.
Videos were posted online at a rapid pace to document the infestation, with one man recording the bugs lodged in his beard.
Another terrified woman turned her head to show dozens of insects entangled in her hair.
In other videos, commuters can be seen walking or riding bikes through the streets, angrily flapping through the air around them.
The tiny insects could be green or black, but their size makes it difficult to see with the naked eye as their species has yet to be determined.
Speculations that they might belong to the pyrophilic or “fire-loving” species have been circulated.
Tiny aphids have arrived along with a lighter plume of smoke from Canadian wildfires, and horrified New Yorkers have shared snaps of the insects burrowed in their hair
Other videos have seen commuters walking the streets or riding bikes, angrily slapping the air around them — others have filmed just the bugs stuck in their hair
The tiny insects could be green or black, but their size makes it difficult to see with the naked eye as their species has yet to be determined
At least 25 families of insects, including Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera, are considered pyrophilic.
Curator of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History, David Grimaldi, told NY Daily News that while the majority of people thought they were mosquitoes, they were aphids, which are “enjoying a boom year.” .
“Aphids feed on plant fluids, such as tree leaves,” Grimaldi said.
“They excrete small droplets of sugary secretions that feed on ants and other insects.”
“Given their numbers, these aphids likely feed on trees along sidewalks in Central, Prospect, and other parks.”
Aphids reproduce quickly but have short lifespans, Grimaldi explained, adding that the mild and wet spring has helped them extend their lives.
“A lot depends on the weather,” he said.
“If temperatures stay mild and humidity and rainfall stay high, they will survive longer, for a few days to maybe a week or more.”
Aphids are common in New York, but predatory species usually keep numbers at normal levels. This year, however, the boom has made that difficult.
“There are absolutely no health concerns,” Grimaldi said.
Massi Valdez was at an outdoor music event at Lincoln Center and told the outlet that he “couldn’t breathe, it was so bad.”
“As I was walking through the pool area, it was so bad that I had to close my eyes and cover my mouth because they got in my nose and eyes,” he said.
Speculation that they might be among the pyrophilic or “fire-loving” species was circulated when the beetles arrived along with a lighter plume of smoke from Canadian wildfires
David Grimaldi, curator of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History, said the majority of people think they are mosquitoes, but they are aphids
“They were all over me and everyone else who walked by.” It was so uncomfortable. I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Brooklyn resident Radiyah Chowdhury was on her way to a Crown Heights bus stop when she told the outlet she felt “attacked.”
“Everyone around me also drove away the insects,” Chowdhury said.
“It was a futile attempt, however.” There were too many of them. “I thought it was isolated in that area until I reached my destination and had to walk through more of these swarms to get home.”