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Bummer, Dude: Black Kelp Flies Swarming SoCal Beaches
Black Kelp Fly
If you're headed to the shores of Redondo Beach, Torrance, or Hermosa Beach, get ready for some gross-out potential: "An invasion of insects has turned a trip to the beach in parts of Southern California into a major summer bummer," explains the Associated Press. Those insects are black kelp flies, which are hanging out on trash cans and lifeguard stands.It's a bigger group of flies than usual this year, experts say, but "there are no plans to get rid of the flies because they have a short life cycle."
The flies lay their eggs on kelp that washes up on beaches. When several flies are born in one place at the same time it's called a "bloom," which is what's happening in SoCal now.
Don't worry too much: You're not going to get bitten, just bugged.
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