Chironomid midges (aka 'rice flies') swarming around a light

The midges that emerge from Clear Lake come in many sizes and colors, but they have these things in common:
1) Males form large mating swarms.
2) Males and females are attracted to lights.
3) They cannot bite, and cannot feed at all!
4) Each individual midge lives only 1-2 days.

Fun Facts!
Midge swarms react to sound. If you stand near a swarm and talk, you can see the midges move in reaction to your voice. If you hum at the right frequency, the midges will swarm around you! As soon as you stop humming, they will move away again.

If you call for mosquito spraying, it won't make a difference in the number of rice flies you see.
Why not? There are a few reasons:
-Each midge lives for 1-2 days and then dies. More midges will emerge from the lake each day until that generation is done. It doesn't make sense to spray for a harmless insect that will die on its own in a couple of days.

-An individual mosquito may live for 6 weeks or longer. Mosquitoes bite people and animals, and carry diseases that make us sick. Spraying for mosquitoes reduces the number of mosquitoes so there are fewer to bite you.