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Swarms of midges have filled the air and covered any open surface in their path in the port city of Taganrog, southern Russia.

Video footage shows one man displaying thousands of tiny creepy-crawlies that have flooded the area outside his home.

Another clip reveals the moment a large swarm ambushed open roads, bringing traffic to a complete stop.

Residents have been unable to leave their homes as a thick layer of dead insects now poses dangerous driving conditions and slippery surfaces for walking.

Locals in the town, some 40 miles from the Ukranian border, have dubbed the phenomenon an "insect apocalypse".

But there is a more reasonable explanation for the bizarre scenes.

Chironomidae – also called chironomids, or non-biting midges, are breeding heavily in small lakes near the city.

Their lifespan is two-to-five days and so their deceased bodies are piling up – leaving an inch-thick layer of debris.

Onlookers say they have never seen anything on this scale before.

(Image: SG)

One woman, Olga Shustrova, said: "It is scary to go out in the evening because they fly towards all lights.

"Thank God, they do not bite you.

"'We got used to such insects last year – but there were far fewer.

"Now there are swarms of them."

Experts blame the unusually high temperatures in the area for the strange activity.

It is not the first time insects have sparked apocalypse fears, though.

In May, a plague of mosquitos killed wild animals and pets leaving people in Russia’s Voronezh region too afraid to leave their homes.

According to people living in the area, it was “impossible” to go outside without being repeatedly “eaten alive” by the aggressive mozzies.

And even those staying in-doors say the insects have been managing to get inside by crawling underneath doors to get at their human prey.

Previous locust infestations in Russia sparked conspiracy theories that the 10 Biblical Plagues were occurring around the world.

The plagues are disasters that God supposedly sent down to Earth to show the Egyptians that he is the only true God.

They are blood, frogs, bugs, wild animals, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the death of first-borns.

But the end of days might be years off yet.

An apocalypse computer predicted in 1973 that the world will end in 2040.

It analysed trends such as pollution levels, population growth and the depletion of natural resources.

“At around 2020, the condition of the planet becomes highly critical,” the report said.