Ann Cameron, age 14, of Jamestown, N.Y. for her question:

HOW LONG IS A MAYFLY'S LIFE?

An adult mayfly's life lasts only a few hours or a few days. It does not eat and it usually has no mouth.

A mayfly is a dainty insect with lacy wings and a slender tail that trails behind it in flight. They are often called dayflies because of their short lives. They are also called sad flies or duns. Fisherman often use imitation mayflies as lures.

The mayfly is not a true flay. A true fly has two wings and a mayfly has four.

A nymph, or young mayfly, hatches from eggs laid in streams or ponds. It breathes through gills and feeds on water plants. A nymph lives for a few months to two years in the water. It then leaves the water, sheds its skin and becomes a winged subimago, or sub adult. Mayflies are the only insects that go through this stage.

After a few hours, the subimago sheds its skin and becomes a full grown adult.

Mayflies are most common in early spring but may occur until late fall. The nymphs serve as a source of food for fish.