Millions of moths have swarmed a football stadium at night.
The insects appeared during the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.
Numerous fans decided to leave the ground during the match, and the Spanish players were said to be horrified.
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The winged pests first swarmed a host stadium during Romania’s defeat to Spain.
The game, which ended 1-3, took place at the Anghel Iordănescu Stadium near Bucharest, Romania.
Cinematographer Bianca Popescu visited the Rapid-Giulești Stadium, another ground hosting U-19 matches, in the Romanian capital a couple of days afterwards for a film shoot.
Her footage showed millions of the Silver Ys, one of the UK’s most common migratory moths, swarming the stadium’s floodlights last Monday (16 Jun).
“There wasn’t a match at the time, it was for a film shoot,” Bianca, 27, told What’s The Jam.
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“It was very uncomfortable, moths were flying everywhere and I was stepping on them all the time.
“They had dust on their wings and as there were so many of them.
“They spread muck in the air and everyone was coughing.”
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A city council spokesperson said the moth’s appearance was due to recent heavy rainfall followed by a sudden increase in temperature, which led to the acceleration of their breeding cycle.
They said: “They feed on a wide range of plants, but have a preference for legumes and vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, beans, potatoes, but also cereals.
“They are a polyphagous pest, present in all areas of the country.
“They are not dangerous to humans, but if the number of caterpillars increases too much, they can affect vegetation.
“It’s a seasonal phenomenon that lasts three to four days and there are no urban-level control solutions or approved insecticides for this.”
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