Fishfly season descends on eastern Michigan

DETROIT (WJBK) - Ready or not, fishflies have hatched and are taking over gas pumps, lights, homes, basically whatever they can get their smelly and slimy little bodies on.

Mid June means the fishfly is back, especially in areas near lakes - we're talking about the Grosse Pointes, St. Clair Shores, and basically anywhere near a lake in eastern Michigan.

Fishfly season typically lasts from mid-June to late July and they stick to everything from walls to streetlights to you. Birds and fish feed on them but for us, they're just plain gross.

Fishflies spend much of their lives underwater in the larval stage and can live for two to three years. Once large enough, they  leave the water and find some bark where they eventually develop into their adult selves. They live just a few days - long enough to lay more eggs and let the process repeat.

The positive to the fishflies is that if you see more of them, it's a good indication that the waterways are healthy and it provides a good ecosystem.

So if we can live with for a few weeks, it works out better for the entire environment.

If you can't live with it, you can kill them. Some people resort to power washing them off homes - which works - but it leaves a  dead fish stench that lingers long after they've been killed.