MISQUAMICUT BEACH, R.I. — An apocalyptic swarm of dragonflies quickly brought a calm day at the beach to an end.

Thousands of dragonflies swarmed Misquamicut Beach on Saturday, with beachgoers trying to run for cover and screaming, The Associated Press reported.

It is not known what caused the insects to swarm for several minutes before they disappeared. Some on social media called it a migration. But the executive director of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, David Gregg, said the blue dasher dragonflies were probably looking for a better habitat and were defending their territory, The Washington Post reported.

He also said the region had a milder winter than other years and that more dragonflies hatched. The area recently had drought conditions.

“What happened was their ponds started to dry up and the mosquito population started to decline, and suddenly it put pressure on them,” Gregg told the newspaper.

One visitor told Storyful she had “never seen anything like this,” USA Today reported.

Some buzzed beachgoers’ hair, others landed on their knees or toes, the Post reported.

Gregg said that people should not be alarmed.

“People shouldn’t be afraid. They don’t bite or sting. The worst thing that can happen is they eat all the mosquitoes,” he told the Post.

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