Spinners are a small version of mayflies, or at least the adult stage thereof. Depending upon the species, spinners may emerge and swarm at different times in the summer or fall. These insects are short lived—a day or two—so they are also referred to as dayflies. With such a short lifetime, spinners have no need to eat and their mouthparts are vestigial.
The short life is spent mating in a swarm over quiet water. The male repeatedly flies vertically; the female flies horizontally, until she is caught. After mating, she lays her eggs in the water and both sexes become fish food.
In the first rays of sunlight, spinners swarm and mate along the lakeshore.
