On the Eastside, I saw a few of them Friday, a few more Saturday and I actually had the thought, "maybe there won't be too many of them this year..."

Then Sunday, cue the little girl from Poltergeist with her most iconic line, "they're baaaaaaaaack."

Midges, not to be confused with mayflies, (but are an indicator that mayflies are on the way), are also known as Canadian soldiers and muckleheads and made their 2023 debut over the weekend. Sunday and Monday were the worst at my place with swarms clinging to my house and garage. Even though it's not fun swiping your way through them, mouth closed and holding your breath as memories of accidently inhaling a bug as a kid permeate and hold your brain hostage, we actually need these little nuisances. First, they eat algea in Lake Erie, not to mention they're a food source for all kinds of insect consuming creatures, so, really the best thing to do is to leave them alone. Their life cycle is crazy short, and really, these little buggers are harmless to us, they don't bite or care about us or our pets. They literally want to get laid and die, then, they'll be pretty much gone... until the fall.

Check out News 5's weather map of Sunday's midge swarm.