Kicker: Back to gnature

PAUL BUTLER, HOST: Well, as if smoke from Canadian wildfires wasn’t hard enough on New York City, residents of the Big Apple had to deal with another problem late last week. Audio here from ABC News.

ABC NEWS: Swarms of insects plaguing people in the parks, dining out, and walking the streets.

Social media was buzzing with the phenomenon as people tried to capture the tiny bugs with their cameras, as they filled the air and covered people’s clothes and hair.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Yech, I hate gnats.

BUTLER: Yeah, well they’re not gnats, Myrna. They’re aphids with wings.

BROWN: Seriously?

BUTLER: Yeah, it turns out that this year’s mild winter may have triggered a population boom. The New York City Public Health Department says the little green bugs aren’t harmful to humans, and bug experts say the swarms won’t last long.

BROWN: Still sounds like a plague out of Egypt.

BUTLER: A little early to make that call, but if the Hudson river turns to blood, then we’ll know for sure.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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