Expert weighs in on where boatmen bugs are coming from
We are learning more about the water boatmen bug making their way throughout the Coachella Valley.
Jeff B. Geraci, the Salton Sea Program Manager at California Regional Water Quality Control Board believes the bugs — which are from the Corixidae family — are coming from the Salton Sea due to changing ecology of the sea.
Read: Boatmen bugs raiding Coachella Valley
Boatmen bugs rely on algae for their food source but also eat animal tissue with the Salton Sea being essentially the bug’s endless food source. A lack of natural predators in the sea is reason for its large population.
Geraci sent us a photo taken three weeks ago showing a 2-mile long slick of Boatmen bugs on the surface of the Salton Sea.
Read: How to remove Boatmen bugs from pools
Geraci also said that bugs want to get back to the water which is why they are attracted to darker cars because they shimmer and reflect like water.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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