Lakewood Ranch CDD fishes for midge fly solution

Sometimes Watercrest condominium owner Jerry Twiggs wonders if his BMW changes color over night.

He knows it is white, but when he sees it in the morning, it looks black.

It’s covered with dead midge flies.

“I thought someone had spray painted my car,” he said. “There were so many of them.”

For residents of Watercrest and other condominium communities along Lake Uihlein, it seems as if the midge flies have taken over.

Jeanne Moschella, who has managed the Watercrest Condominium Association for six years, said this year’s bout of midge flies has been unmatched and has lasted with few breaks since March. 

It could take two workers all day to blow the insects out of the garages and walkways of 11 buildings. The bugs also infest entrances to the other buildings. Piles accumulate overnight.

“I have never seen it last this long or been this bad before,” Moschella said, noting workers have to scrub their remains off of textured surfaces. “Imagine walking out of your home and stepping on a blanket of these. Even worse, imagine walking back into your home, stepping on them and bringing all that in with you on your shoes. It is a horrible problem.”

Relief may be on the way.

Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 2 supervisors allocated $50,000 in its budget for midge fly control at Lake Uihlein. Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority staff members were ready to take action once the new fiscal year started Oct. 1.

IDA Operations Director Paul Chetlain said the district has contracted with Clarke Mosquito Control for a three-prong approach it hopes will provide relief to homeowners in Watercrest, the Moorings and the new Waterfront at Main Street.

“If you are walking through the grass, it’ll be like a snow flurry almost. They just coat everything,” Chetlain said of the condition of midge flies moving through the grass.

CDD 2 last year treated the north end of the lake with larvicide and stocked it with brim, a panfish that loves feasting on midge flies.

“With the magnitude of the problem, the size of the body of water and nature of the lake— it really didn’t put a dent in it,” Chetlain said. “This effort will expand the treatment in a much larger area.”

The plan calls for six months of monthly larvicide treatment in the most impacted areas, primarily on the northern portion of the lake. Clarke will combine this with ultra-low volume spraying, where trucks drive around in the evening and spray the grassy areas around the ponds. Another chemical application will target plants and the ground, where adult flies congregate. Both spray treatments will be completed weekly, Chetlain said.

“I expect it will help dramatically,” Chetlain said. “The first measure of success will be just the feedback we get from Watercrest, Waterfront and the Moorings.”

The district is ready for action but is awaiting a written OK from developer-controlled utility provider Braden River Utilities. It owns rights to the water in the lake, although CDD 2 owns the bottom of the pond and the land around it.

Chetlain said he also is looking into stocking Lake Uihlein with more panfish. A consideration for future budgets could be the purchase of an aeration device to help move lake water and reduce conditions associated with midge flies.

Twiggs, a CDD 2 supervisor, said he’s hopeful Clarke’s efforts will be the best solution. A more intensive treatment plan from another company would have cost $50,000 more. 

“We hope this works,” he said.