A Michigan workplace sent the internet into a frenzy after an employee shared photos of its hallways completely covered in bugs from floor to ceiling. This was far from the typical infestation one might expect to find in an unclean kitchen; the insects appeared to be everywhere, spreading across the ceilings, walls, and floors. Unsurprisingly, the unsettling images left tens of thousands of online users deeply disturbed.
“I end up covered in them head to toe when I blow the outside of the building off!” exclaimed Reddit user Spectralcolors78, the worker who had the nightmare-ish pleasure of dealing with the hordes of bugs at his work. He continued: “Today I had to use a snow shovel to clear the 8-inch piles of them in front of the outside doors. Wish I was joking!”
A commenter remarked in agreement, “Sign of a healthy ecosystem/body of water nearby,” they wrote, identifying the insects as mayflies. Another Redditor added in response how these particular insects aren’t dangerous since they don’t bite; on the flip side, they’re objectively gross and allegedly smell like “dead fish” after dying.
Plenty of people were grossed out and appalled by the scene. “No, thank you. It would absolutely terrify me if they all started flying around,” exclaimed an understandably disturbed individual. “Bro’s working in Exit 8,” laughed another user, referring to a viral Japanese indie video involving a hallway of seemingly never-ending spine-chilling horrors.
“These things legit gave me PTSD when I worked at a gas station. They’re the reason for my bug phobia,” remarked a third. “That’s disgusting. This post made my skin crawl,” wrote a fourth.
This mayfly infestation wasn’t this Michigan employee’s first rodeo when it came to unsettling encounters with nature on the job. As alarming as it was to see the building seemingly swallowed by a thick, fluttering blanket of mayflies, he had already dealt with something far more nightmare-inducing the year before. “We had a severe spider infestation last year. Giant wolf spiders that could run across a ten-foot span in the blink of an eye! That was horrific,” he recalled, making it clear that the mayflies, while shocking in number, were not the most terrifying visitors the workplace had ever hosted. Wolf spiders are generally not considered dangerous to humans, and like mayflies, they play a role in the local ecosystem. Still, knowing that doesn’t make it much easier to stay calm when one suddenly darts across the floor at startling speed. These spiders are known for being fast, agile hunters, and their size alone can be enough to send even the bravest employee stepping backward. Unlike mayflies, which are short-lived, delicate insects that typically swarm near water during seasonal hatches, wolf spiders have a much more intimidating presence—especially when they appear in large numbers indoors. Considering how a wall of harmless mayflies managed to terrify thousands of Redditors, spark dramatic reactions, and inspire plenty of jokes from people who swore they would immediately quit, relocate, or “nope” out of the entire state, it is easy to imagine how a horde of giant spiders would be received. A mayfly swarm might look like something out of a disaster movie, but a workplace overrun with fast-moving wolf spiders sounds like the kind of scene that would have employees checking under desks, shaking out shoes, and walking very carefully for weeks afterward.
