MUSCATINE, Iowa — No, this isn't a scene from a horror flick.
In a nightmare-inducing viral video, thousands of mayflies cover the ground, cars and even a camera lens in a Muscatine, Iowa, parking lot.
KWQC-TV shared the clip, recorded Saturday by viewer Valeri Rouse, on its Facebook page Sunday.
"It was an invasion of mayflies for many people up and down the Mississippi River Saturday," the station captioned the video, which has been viewed more than 143,000 times.
It was an invasion of mayflies for many people up and down the Mississippi River Saturday. This is what Valeri Rouse saw in Muscatine.
Posted by KWQC TV6 News on Sunday, July 14, 2019
"For a second I thought it was snowing!" one commenter wrote.
Another added: "That looks like a whole bunch of NOPE."
According to the University of Iowa's State Hygienic Laboratory, the bothersome bugs are actually an "important part of Iowa's aquatic insect fauna" and "valuable in determining water quality."
"Mayflies spend most of their life as aquatic larvae or nymphs," the lab's website says. "Usually they can be found on bottom substrates of rivers, streams and lakes around the state."
Still not a fan? Well, their adult lifespan is only a few days long, so they'll be gone soon.
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