The staff at the Balaton Limnological Research Institute confirmed that a significantly smaller swarm of mayflies is expected at Lake Balaton this year compared to last year.
“The mass of the spring larval population currently developing in the Lake Balaton sediment—which precedes the swarm—is significantly smaller for the entire lake than it was in 2025, amounting to about 40 percent of that figure. Another difference compared to the previous year is that the spatial distribution of the larvae is unusually even,” reported on the BalatonScience social media page.
Swarming forecast for May–June 2026:
- in the Keszthely and Szigliget basins, swarming intensity is expected to be close to the ten-year averages;
- in the central and eastern areas of the lake, while we can still expect swarming to be above average, the number of flying insects is projected to be roughly “only” one-third of last year’s highly disruptive invasion.
Moreover, even the pesticides currently in use are ineffective against this species of mosquito.
The dynamics of the black fly swarm will be significantly determined by weather conditions in May and June. If this period brings steadily warming water and air temperatures, then the black fly swarm could subside by the start of the summer season,”
the experts emphasized.
Via hirado.hu; Featured image: Pixabay
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