Canadian soldier

Canadian soldier n

 also Canada soldier, Canadian sailor: = mayfly n 1. chiefly Gt Lakes, esp OH See Map

1859 OH Farmer 8.217/1, Last Saturday evening, the northern and central portions of Cleveland were filled with June flies, or Canada soldiers, as they are commonly called. 1860 WI Daily Patriot (Madison) 21 July [2]/2, The “Green Bay Flies,” (alias “Shad Flies,” alias “Eel Flies,” alias “June Flies,” alias “Canadian Soldiers,”) which have been more or less numerous here for a month past, on Saturday and Sunday nights last came from the water in countless myriads. 1888 Eve. Republican (Meadville PA) 16 July [2]/3, The electric light men of Erie are having considerable trouble with the “Canadian soldiers,” or June bugs. They fly around the lights and at times completely fill the globes. 1899 Buffalo Eve. News (NY) 18 Mar 1/5, Some people say the invasion of the ‘Canadian soldiers,’ otherwise sand flies, will be a nuisance that will keep visitors away. 1933 Detroit Free Press (MI) 13 July 1/3, Automobiles along Lakeshore Drive were forced to stop as the insects—known variously as Canadian soldiers, May flies, June flies, fish flies, day flies and shad flies—packed against windshield surfaces and cut off vision or clogged radiators and overheated engines. 1953 News–Herald (Franklin PA) 8 July 1/3, Erie residents battled an invasion of “Canadian Sailors” today. . . They blacked out windows and shaded street lights and signs. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. R4, A large winged insect that hatches in summer . . around lakes . . , crowds around lights, lives only a day or so, and is good fish bait) Infs MI2, OH2, 16, 17, 20, 22, 28, 41, 67, 79, WI77, Canadian soldier; NY103, Canada soldier; PA128, Canadian sailor; (Qu. R15b, Names for an extra big mosquito) Inf OH6, Canadian soldiers. 1969 DARE File nOH, Canadian soldier—the mayfly or Green Bay fly, now in the Cleveland area along Lake Erie. 1971 Detroit Free Press (MI) 4 July sec C 6/4,They’re Mayflies, the largest we have. Lake St. Clair residents call them “fish flies” or “Canadian soldiers,” but they’re the same thing. 1999 Pittsburgh Post–Gaz. (PA) 26 July sec A 9/2, When my wife was a kid, she’d go down to the docks, lots of people would, to watch the clouds of Canadian sailors come in. It’s neat to see them again. 2009 in 2018 DARE File—Internet neOH, There were huge bugs all over our balcony & swarming near the lake. They were so bad we couldn’t enjoy our balcony or the lake front. We asked one of the lodge employees who said they are called Canadian Soldiers.

Any of various other troublesome insects, esp the box-elder bug n.

1966–68 DARE (Qu. R5, A big brown beetle that comes out in large numbers in spring and early summer, and flies with a buzzing sound) Inf DC8, Canadian soldier; (Qu. R30, . . Kinds of beetles; not asked in early QRs) Inf PA75, Canadian soldier (grasshopper). 1966 DARE (QR, near Qu. R29) Inf GA12, Box-elder bug—Canadian soldier. 1983 DARE File (as of c1930), In Ohio I knew the box-elder bug as Canadian soldier.