REDONDO BEACH, Calif. >> An invasion of insects has turned a trip to the beach in parts of Southern California into a major summer bummer.

Lifeguards said Friday that black kelp flies are covering trash cans and lifeguard stands in Redondo Beach, Torrance and Hermosa Beach.

Lifeguard Section Chief Garth Canning says this year’s bloom of flies is bigger than usual.

Los Angeles County Natural History Museum Entomologist Brian Brown says the flies are attracted to dead kelp that washes ashore. They lay their eggs in the kelp and their larvae feed on it.

Canning says there are no plans to get rid of the flies because they have a short life cycle.

He says black kelp flies don’t bite so they only danger is they might ruin a nice day at the beach.