The winged menace being swatted away to little avail are aphids, experts say, not gnats, as some battling the minuscule bugs had mistakenly surmised.
Fortunately, the aphids present no health concern. Unfortunately, they present a considerable nuisance to natives and tourists alike.
Swarms this time of year are unusual, as aphids don't typically come out in New York City until after summer, Professor David Lohman, an entomologist at the City University of New York, told WNBC. Lohman theorized the warm winter could have contributed to the early arrival.
"I wanted to dodge them. One of them flew in my nose and it was not pleasant," Martin Perez, an Upper East Sider told the outlet.