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Identifying Flying Insects

Summary: Properly identifying flying insects you find in your house can give you clues about problems you may be having with moisture or insect infestations.

A reader asks: We recently had a leaky pipe in the wall between our kitchen and bathroom. The leak was repaired about six months ago. Now, we are seeing these very small fly-like insects with wings crawling on the kitchen floor. They came from behind the refrigerator which is where the old leak occurred. The sheet rock was dry but we had these bugs all over. What are they?

Dear Reader: Sounds like it may be termites or the winged stage of one of many types of ants. We suggest collecting a few termite samples in a bottle and have them identified by your county extension agent. Proper and correct identification is key to getting fast control and it may tell you something about what might be happening inside sealed walls.

Termites and ants look very different. Ants have a very defined pinched waist, while termites do not have the pinched waist. Ants have clear wings and the veins are very visible. Termites have milky colored wings and the veins are less defined.

The flying insects you had with the leaky pipe were probably fungus gnats or Phorid flies. Once the water problem was corrected they had no acceptable breeding environment and should have died off quickly. If they are still present you probably still have something leaking.

Comments

Chuck
20 Jul 2009, 13:46

Hello
I have a severe Fly problem on my deck,We have tired bombing and sprays and traps but thay just keep coming back!!! and thay are in LARGE #'s and we have called Exterminators and thay wont even touch the situation and we have almost givin up we even look under the trailer for anything dead and found nothing and we have took all the steps to prevent them from coming but it seems like every fly in the area is here!!!
I 'm to the point Of getting a flame thrower and just torching the place.
I know you said something about "you have to find out what fly it is "but like i said we cant get no one out here to do that.
So What can we do,Keep in mind we have small children and pets

Thank you

Chuck

Chuck
20 Jul 2009, 14:00

I have id The flies for you as well thay are either blow flies and/or house Flies If that is any help for you \

Ask the Exterminator
20 Jul 2009, 14:05

Blowfly need decaying matter to lay their eggs. That can be a dead animal or wet and stagnant soil. You need to keep searching for the source. It could be a broken plumbing or sewer pipe. It something is leaking, it's a problem.

Erin Walker
22 Jul 2009, 10:24

Hello,

We have this huge hornet/wasp insect near our pool, actually under it. They have dug at least 4 holes. They are a least 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. Their abdomens are black and yellow stripe. Wondering what they are? How to get rid of them? and how bad would it be if stung???

Thanks

Ask the Exterminator
22 Jul 2009, 10:31

I don't like to ID without a picture. You wasp sounds like a ground hornet. Individual nesting holes would have to be treated with a pesticide dust.

A sting would hurt, but it would not kill you unless you were one of those individuals who have bad reactions. If so, you could die. Maybe you should think about calling a pest professional.

Beth
22 Jul 2009, 14:29

I had a problem last July/August and now they're here again! In our bathroom and master closet we have these little tiny black ants with wings. They are at the most an 1/8 of an inch long. They have a round head, a larger round middle section and an elongated rear end, antennae that stick straight out in front and see through oval wings that are as long as the ant's whole body and stick up straight from their back. They mostly crawl along, but around lights they swarm. They also seem to fall regularly, like they'll just fall off the light into the bathroom sink and crawl off. We have only a few now, but last year as the month went on we had THOUSANDS. I can't do this again this year! Please help!

Ask the Exterminator
22 Jul 2009, 14:30

All that description and I still cannot make a positive ID. Take them to a pest pro for the ID. It's the only way to know for sure what you've got and why.

Pam
22 Jul 2009, 20:01

Last year and this year we have these bugs that hang around by our sliding door off our back porch. They seem to be bouncing up and down as they fly. They look like they might be mayflies or something but it goes on all summer and they just hang on the screen or if they get in the house they stick to the wall or ceiling. Long skinny wings with two long tail things. I live in Indiana. What are they?

tammy miles
27 Jul 2009, 15:14

My mom found this really big bug that we have never seen before. It is about 4" in length its wings are about the same and it has huge pinchers on the front. It kind of looks like a dragon fly but not exactly. We are wondering what it is since we can't find it on the net.

Ask the Exterminator
27 Jul 2009, 15:45

Send me a picture: rsteinau@aceex.com

Tiff
28 Jul 2009, 18:51

I've suddenly started noticing small green flying insects that tend to hover in the kitchen near the ceiling. They make a noise similar to that of a mosquito. We have a leaky faucet in the kitchen that needs to be fixed and have recently acquired an African Violet plant that is on the kitchen counter. Could either of these be the cause? Any idea what they could be? We live on the third floor of a building.

Ask the Exterminator
29 Jul 2009, 09:42

There are billions of insects out there. I'm not a good guesser, so I suggest capturing one in a bottle and taking it to a local pest control company for an ID. Soon as you know what you have you'll quickly find out where they are coming from and how to control them.

Kellilyn
29 Jul 2009, 12:05

Funny same as Tammy Miles, on July 28, 2009. Last night we saw the same kind of bug at my house. I'm not sure where she is from but we live in Maine and have never seen this kind of bug before. It was about 4" long, winged, with pretty large pinchers! What is it?

Ask the Exterminator
29 Jul 2009, 12:13

Send me a picture: rsteinau@aceext.com

Cliff
29 Jul 2009, 16:34

I have just notice what looks like a flying wasp that entered a small 1/8th inch hole in my siding. Later noticed a second one trying to enter. I pushed a small stick into the hole and it goes all the way thru, doesn't appear to end. I sprayed the hole and thought I should maybe seal it; what are your thoughts. There appears to only be one hole. Appreciate your thoughts

Ask the Exterminator
29 Jul 2009, 17:04

Quit spraying liquid pesticides into that hole. If you want to treat the hole you need to pump pesticide dust like Tempo 1% into the hole. That will kill off the nest. Leave the hole open after the treatment for about two weeks.

I also suggest that after the nest has been killed that you do some discovery work to locate the nest inside the wall, then remove it to prevent other insects from infesting the once active nest.

valdena
30 Jul 2009, 15:58

we moved into yhis older puse a year ago last april and in august i started noticeing these little black fly looking bugs fling around. usually in bathroom but they do go to other rooms. now they are back. they are about 1/4 to a fifth of a house fly. do u know what these are? i thought they were coming from the sewer.

Ask the Exterminator
30 Jul 2009, 21:24

They are probably phorid flies and they may be coming from under the tile floor in the bathroom. It normally occurs after there has been a plumbling line break and the soil under the floor becomes contaminated. The only way to resolve the problem is by opening the floor and digging out all the "bad" soil. Before doing that, you might want to collect some of the flies and get a proper identification. That will tell you for sure where they are breeding.

Melanie Bartello
03 Aug 2009, 00:36

I have a horrible problem with small, very small dark brown bugs in my home! They fly as well! You do not see them flying often, normally you just see them walking on your clothes when you get them from you closet, walking on the kitchen counter, bathroom walls, my dining room table and the stove top are their favourite place to be (I am thinking because there is light above and they may be attracted to the light). There are so many and when you think because you killed 15 of them they are gone, you turn around and there are 15 more. My basement is filled with them. My mom brought some food over, whole wheat pasta and I think they MAY have come fromt that, but not 100% sure. If I open a NEW box I purchased from the store and was in my cupboard (WW pasta), they box is filled with them. I cannot take it any longer!! PlEASE HELP!!!

Ask the Exterminator
03 Aug 2009, 08:50

I think you have more than one pest problem. Pantry pests don't usually show up in your clothes closets. The pests you are finding in your food are most likely sawtooth grain beetles or some other similar grain pest. Read all about these pests under my "House Pests" category.

Collect some of the pests and take them to a local pest control company for identification. That way, you'll know for sure where to look for them and how to control them.

Tracy
04 Aug 2009, 16:07

Today I was outside with the pest control man, while he was spraying for yellow jackets I saw another flying insect drinking nector from our butterfly bushes. I asked him what it was and he said he has never seen anything like it before. He was completely stumped. So, I'll try to discribe it to you and see if you have any ideas. It looks like a baby hummingbird size approx. 1/2 inch long. Wings flutter very fast and can hoover like a hummingbird but...it is not a hummingbird. It has a long thin bill (I guess) but it also has very long antenna(black) on each side of it's head. It's body is two colors black or dark brown around the edge and cream color in the center. Then it has a fan tail coming out of the body. I have lots of hummingbird books and this is not in any of them so I thought flying insect. Help!

Ask the Exterminator
04 Aug 2009, 16:29

Hummingbird clearwing. It's actually a moth.

Rachel
15 Aug 2009, 13:27

i was just home on the couch when a bug came to me and bit me. it looked like an ant but it was flyin!!it really hurts what do i do?

shelly
17 Aug 2009, 08:50

just built our house and now we can't even sit outside and enjoy our new deck!We noticed these fleas that actually look like they fly instead of jump.We don't get any bites but now there in the house too!I keep Frontline plus on the dogs,we bombed the basement twice,sprayed the house,vacuum and make sure my dogs are clean and bedding.We do have woods close,we built out in the country.I've lived in the country before never seen fleas like this before.Any suggestions?

Cheryl
18 Aug 2009, 16:01

Does anyone know what a flying insect my husband calls a 'witch doctor'....they seem to be almost wild and attack like when I go from building to building out here at our new place. Since I was stung by a wasp a couple of weeks ago, I'm especially freaked when I go out now and they buzz by me and around me.

Renee
24 Aug 2009, 09:50

I have what I believed to be a fruit fly, but after reading description of one, is not a fruit fly. They are very small and light in color. I have removed vegetables, garbage cans and they are still there. In my kitchen, hanging on the window of the kitchen and in my bathroom, in the shower, on my medicine cabinet, and in my medicine cabinet.

Jessica
25 Aug 2009, 22:32

I have a possible pest problem. I work at a day care and would like to get it taken care of. They are a large flying insect, very quick moving, so it is difficult to tell what they look like. I would guess them at the size of my pinky, 2 1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch in diameter at least and light brown. When they land, I can't get close enough to look at them, so there's no way I could take a picture or catch one. They start flying around when I get around 5 feet away, darting all over the place. The body looks like it's one solid section, not different appedages except for the head, with a pointed tip that faces down on the rear end, but again they move so fast. My first guess was a hornet, but I've never actually seen one. The pictures I found on the net don't look like this. I don't know what else it could be and I would like to get rid of them if they are harmful, especially to the kids. I would guess there are three. Any ideas or suggestions would be great!

Leanda Chmielewski
28 Aug 2009, 17:12

I have this tiny flying bugs in my house. I can"t figure out what they are. They like to stay on windows and when they are not flying they look like a baby beetle. They don"t live very long. Can any one help me identify what this bug is and where they are coming from?

Jimmy
29 Aug 2009, 11:16

This morning when I was taking our dog outside, I seen a flying insect that I have no idea what it is. It looks like a wasp but it was flying around the ground. It was blue and it was brown around the bottom area. There is about twenty of them buzzing around the yard just in one area. Any info that you have would help. Thanks

anonymous
03 Sep 2009, 15:45

The above bugs sound like rainbows compared to whats going on at my house. It all started about two weeks ago, where after getting a baby kitten, we came home to a window full of about thirty flies right next to the litter bok window. The next day, after killing all the flies, we found maggots in several places in our home, all on the bottom floor. We got rid of ALL of them over a period of two days. A week after this, we came home to three windows with about 20 flies in each, and NO MAGGOTS whatsoever throughout the whole home. We have blocked off all means of entering and gotten rid of all known places of breeding. Sir we are in hell and we need a way out. The flies are a bright greenish blue color and about a centimeter in size.HELP US!!!!!!!!

annonymous continued
03 Sep 2009, 15:54

Oh and by the way, the ID is not relevant to me. All i need to know is a cheap, fast and human friendly way to get rid of these stupid devils FAST. PLease write me back ASAP because thoughts of actually moving out are in the process. This is getting very frustrating and aggrivating now. PLease please please help us.

Sherri Ratliff
06 Sep 2009, 12:55

I have these small gnat looking insects with wings in my kitchen. Mostly over and on the stove area. They started in a cabinet beside the stove where I keep seasonings. Can't get rid of them after clearing the cabinets. Fogged the cabinets with raid, but to no avail they continue to come back. They are slow moving but can fly a short distance.

Any suggestions on what will eliminate them would be great.

kymmy
06 Sep 2009, 13:34

my sister and her baby have recently move into their own home... outside there is a large bush which i believe is a blackberry bush.. it is completely swarmed with bees and or wasps.. cant tell the difference theses days.. whilst looking out the window we spotted a very large insect that looks and acts in the mannor as a bee.. but it was alot larger and had a large yellow bottom as it were.. the yellow section is at least a third of the size of the insect.. it is large enough that we saw it lose its balance and fall.. bouncing off the leaves and fall to the ground.. it came back up a moments later unharmed... we alse seem to only see the one insect.. what is it? and is it dangerous?

Ree Ree
14 Sep 2009, 19:03

What kind of insect is gray with a hard shell, flies, crawl walls and move very slow and also have about six or more legs. See outside on my sidings and on my windows. Sometime they are in my upstairs bedrooms.

Tracy
19 Sep 2009, 17:03

I just went out to our utility shed to paint it. I began itching, looked down, and all over my legs were tiny blackish-brown bugs. At first I thought fleas, but I noticed they could fly (had wings). I looked at the shed and millions of them were crawling all over the wood siding. We have had rain showers on and off for one week. Help! What are they and how do I treat this infestation. Don't want it to get into our home.

mary
19 Sep 2009, 19:27

I live in Illinois, and we have been swarmed by these little tiny look like some kind of gnat, they don't bite but they swarm from about 1 in the afternoon till dark. They are terrible, we can't even go outside, would you know what they are?

Shelly
22 Sep 2009, 19:20

We have a pest problem. Not only do we have the regular house fly, but also these tiny flies that look like baby flies. They seem to multiply in large groups. One day there were gone and now they are back. How are they surviving? How do we get rid of them?

Gabriele Marie
05 Oct 2009, 13:09

In Mississauga, Ontario, we have these very small flying black bugs, and they have been stuck to the top of our balconies, on windows, screens, walls and doors, also when opening the door, they sem to love the dining room light. I have to clean them out daily. What are they, why are they here, and how do I get rid of them? Thank_you

HELAINE
07 Oct 2009, 18:48

I LIVE IN SOUTH FLORIDA. WE HAVE THESE FUNNY LOOKING COCOON TYPE INSECTS (SMALL, GRAY AND SORT OF FURRY), THAT ARE STUCK (LIKE GLUE) TO OUR OUTSIDE WALLS, FRONT DOOR, AND SCREENS SURRONDING OUR POOL. WHAT ARE THEY ?

Elizabeth Henley
08 Oct 2009, 00:08

I think these are baby flies. I have a leak in my up stairs bathrm. Thant is leaking onto the hallway leading to my 1st floor back door Iput up the fly strip and have caught many everday more come. I think i need to take the tile up in the hallway as well as remove the tub surround and redo. however in the meantime what can I use to get rid of them as I start the rentervation. in the bathroom??? HELP.

Robin Edwards
26 Oct 2009, 22:30

I live in Florida. In the last week I have noticed tiny browish flying bugs. They show up around dark. There are tons of them. They don't bite but are are really annoying. They get in your hair and on your clothes. They are also attracted to light. Once they are inside they generally die on the window sills. What are they and how can I get rid of them??

Tayla
06 Nov 2009, 22:31

I think we found a horntailed wasp there are lots at our house

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Identifying Flying Insects

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