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Terrifying moment huge insect invasion sweeps town

Shocking footage has captured the moment an enormous insect invasion swept the streets of a town and covered it all in white.

The hair-raising spectacle was spotted in the city of Yuanjiang, located in Hunan Province in southern China, and was filmed by an unnamed witness.

In the footage, the insects can be seen completely covering the ground and sky. It appears as though snowflakes are falling down.

According to the Yiyang Ecology and Environment Bureau, the occurrence is a natural phenomenon that happens in the autumn and spring, and the particular bug is called a mayfly (Ephemeroptera), local media relayed.

A large number of flying insects appeared in Yiyang, China.
A stunned witness captured footage of the insect invasion. Source: AsiaWire/Australscope

Similar to a dragonfly, mayflies can be found near rivers and lakes, which is why they swarmed this one particular area in China.

They have a very short life span, spending most of their time underwater as larvae and emerging as adults once the weather warms up, after which they only survive for one or two days.

According to the Bureau, this phenomenon has occurred at least three times in the past five years.

Although they are generally harmless to humans and plants, the witness said the layer of insects on the road was so thick that it caused a vehicle to slip and skid out of control.

Millions of mayflies swarm petrol station

Last year, millions of mayflies swarmed a petrol station in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, WSAW reports.

An employee told local media the insects piled on top of each other on the pumps and store windows.

Customers were reportedly too scared to get out and fill up their cars.

Jamee Hubbard, a UW-Stevens Point Biology Professor, told the publication the bizarre phenomenon occurred because there weren't enough parasites to eat the mayflies when they emerged from the water.

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