'Out Of Horror Movie': Video Shows Massive Dragonfly Swarm Taking Over Rhode Island Beach

Rhode Island beachgoers had their sunny day disrupted by an unexpected spectacle: a massive swarm of dragonflies. The incident reportedly occurred last week at Misquamicut Beach when a large swarm of dragonflies descended upon the crowd. The videos capturing the chaotic scene are doing rounds on the internet where beachgoers are seen scrambling for cover.

In the footage, shared on X, the dragonflies’ overwhelming presence is evident as they fly through the beach umbrellas and chairs. The crow is visibly startled and people try to shield themselves from the relentless swarm by covering their faces with towels. The dragonflies flew over various places in Rhode Island last week as part of their annual migration.

The caption accompanying the footage reads, “Swarm of supersized dragonflies invade Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island. Beachgoers were seen ducking for cover while others tried swatting them away as the swarm took over the beach. The insects can travel in swarms of billions, so large that the swarms can show up on radar systems. Experts say the insects swarm like this while breeding in the summer or when smaller insects they eat are thrown in the air by weather disturbances.”

“I’ve never seen anything like that. Maybe a few dozen at a time of dragonflies, but never in that amount,” Helene Dombrowski, one of the beachgoers from Connecticut, told The Boston Globe.

Greenwich Time reported that the bugs were also spotted in the Newport area during the Newport Folk Festival over the weekend.

The video, since being posted online, has generated a wide range of reactions from the social media users. Here’s a glimpse of what people are saying in the comment section:

One user commented, “As far as I know, they are pretty harmless, but I know my wife would have been freaking out, she can’t stand bugs,” while another added, “That’s so cool, dragonflies are awesome, also one of the strongest insects and a sign of good luck.”

A person shared, “Well that’s one way to completely destroy a beach trip. I’d never go back.”

Another chimed in with, “Something out of a horror movie. I love it.”

“This is what I imagine, arms raised to the skies, as I command, “Swarm, Swarm!”, of my drone army,” a person shared.

Meanwhile, someone drew a Biblical comparison, writing, “Kinda Reminds me of a story from the Bible about Swarms of Locusts covering the land.”

Another jokingly wrote, “Who had dragonfly plague on their apocalypse bingo?”

The video has accumulated over 3.8 million views so far.