Black flies, scientific name tabanids, are quite common in Lakewood. They appear most frequently from April through June, but they can survive into the late summer months. This large, diverse group of blood feeding flies is noticed most during the spring and early summer months because this is when they breed and the females suck human and animal blood to feed their eggs.

Ever wonder about those small swarming summer insects? They are midges and belong to the family Chironomidae. Although they resemble irritating mosquitoes, these six-legged wonders do not bite. In fact, the only time they eat is during their four-week aquatic larval stage. A female midge lays her eggs in the water. The white larvae, which emerge, eat decomposing vegetation on the bottom of the lake or pond. After the larval stage, an immature midge becomes a pupa. From this form, the larvae are transformed into adult midges. Midges hatch on the surface of the water and this is when they are most commonly viewed. They live only long enough to reproduce. The swarming masses seen in the summer months are here to mate. Once they have mated and the eggs are laid, adult midges die.