Can anyone identify these little pests?

[Hazuki]

Can anyone help me with this, we seem to have this problem every Spring/Summer. I've noticed 100s of these tiny flying insects at the rear of or house (which is usually in the shade until 2-3pm) and when the sun finally shines at the rear, they disappear. On hot (but overcast) days, they are nowhere to be seen.

I'm unable to take a picture of them swarming, as they're too fast to focus - however I sprayed some window cleaner on the outside of the glass as it seems to attract them, and they end up dying when they touch it... thanks to this, I have managed to get a few close ups on my phone.

To clarify, they don't actually land on the glass in normal circumstances, and don't appear to be trying to get in (even with the window open)... they just swarm aimlessly 2-3cm outside the window.

Please excuse the dirty windows - I sprayed the window cleaner this morning and it's got all manner of dust stuck to it before it dried.




And a live one that just happened to land as I was taking pictures. It's much smaller than 1cm, but I can't get an accurate size so have just added this to show it's smaller than you think!

Edited by Hazuki on Sunday 24th April 19:17

[ReallyReallyGood]

Mosquito

[The Rotrex Kid]

St Marks fly I think?

[Hazuki]

ReallyReallyGood said:

Mosquito

Not sure they're mosquitos based on the shape of their thorax, but they are the same size as them.

I just realised I have one of those eBay USB Microscopes... think I'll grab one of the dead ones and get some pics up shortly!

EDIT: Close ups from cheapo USB Microscope taken... still none the wiser.

For size reference, it's on the head's side of a 20p coin in the first close up. Each subsequent shot is me holding it with needle nose tweezers. This critter was one of the one that was stuck to the window with window cleaner, as they've all fecked off now funny enough.

Edited by Hazuki on Sunday 24th April 15:50

[The Rotrex Kid]

The Rotrex Kid said:

St Marks fly I think?

Or called a Hawthorn fly. Looks like it to me?

See here - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Hazuki]

The Rotrex Kid said:

The Rotrex Kid said:

St Marks fly I think?

Or called a Hawthorn fly. Looks like it to me?

See here - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Not sure it's one of those either. The Hawthorn fly appears to be a lot larger than this, and has a much bigger 'head' too. Cheers for the reply anyway.

[paintman]

Probably a type of midge or gnat (diptera), referred to in the trout flyfishing world as 'buzzers'.

Don't be too quick to rule out hawthorn flies (bibio) as it is the right time of year for their appearance.

Edited by paintman on Sunday 24th April 17:23

[otolith]

That looks to me to be a chironomid midge (the aforementioned trout fisherman’s “buzzer”)

[Hazuki]

otolith said:

That looks to me to be a chironomid midge (the aforementioned trout fisherman’s “buzzer”)

We have a winner. Looks exactly the same as the one you mentioned.

From Google


Now to find the cause and get rid of them!

[otolith]

Hazuki said:

Now to find the cause and get rid of them!

They will be breeding in a nearby waterbody - they're a very important part of the ecology. They're quite harmless, they don't bite. Over a large lake or reservoir you can often see enormous hatches of them like columns of smoke over the water.

[anonymous-user]

ReallyReallyGood said:

Mosquito

Nope. Mosquitoes have a distinctive long needle like proboscis emanating from the middle of their face, through which they inject anticoagulant and then draw blood.

[StevieBee]

otolith said:

they're a very important part of the ecology.

What isn't?

[blueg33]

StevieBee said:

otolith said:

they're a very important part of the ecology.

What isn't?

21st century mankind

[otolith]

StevieBee said:

otolith said:

they're a very important part of the ecology.

What isn't?

In this context, anything that is scarce! What I mean is that these midges and their mud-living larvae occur in such huge numbers that they are a significant food source for all sorts of aquatic and terrestrial life.