Attack of the lake flies 2/15/11

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting at my desk working on a lecture. Suddenly I heard yelling and saw people running into buildings. Julian ran into the building I was in and slammed all of the doors. Now, most people living in a developing country would be concerned about this. Are the Tanzanians attacking? Is it a pack of hungry hyenas? But I knew better. I had seen this before. It was an assault, a full on invasion . . . of lake flies.

                Lake flies are the size of a gnat. Singly they would probably never catch your attention, but they never come singly. It starts as what looks like a pillar of smoke hanging far out over the lake. The male lake flies have hatched and mated. Now they are ready to come on shore to land and die. You see them hovering in a cloud, but which direction will they go? Is the wind out there the same direction as it is on shore? Can we hope they will end up in the next bay over? Come on, go toward Muhuru Bay.

                As the plume gets closer to shore, people start preparing. They cover dishes, shut windows, and get inside. Not that being inside will help much. They are so small that they can fit through screens, and even through our trusty bed nets. There is no stopping them. Like a cloud of smoke they roll in engulfing everything in their path.  Some land on any surface they find; trees, walls, and doors, covering them with layers of flies. Others hover in clouds just at head level, daring you to walk through and breathe them in. All seem to be searching for the most inconvenient place possible to spend their last hours.

                Woe to the person who has a light on at night; much less a computer screen. Matt and I put out candles to distract them, but the tops of the candles get so many dead flies on them that the flies catch on fire and the candles become raging torches and burn out in a few minutes. I have taken to leaving a decoy light on in my house when I am reading. It doesn’t help that the security light outside my house is the only outside light for miles attracting flies like a beacon.

                I am told that in previous generations, lake flies were made into patties and eaten. It seems that people had nets with very small holes that they would wave through the air a few times to collect a bag-full. Then they would dry them, mix them with oil and fry them up.  If your diet is low on protein it makes sense. I guess I should stop complaining and learn a lesson from my Kenyan friends. If the world gives you lake flies, make lake fly burgers.