Invasion of small black flies

[Chris T]

Yesterday evening the boat windows inside were covered in hundreds of small black flies. Easy enough to get rid of 🤢 and then we closed everything up, but during this spell of warm weather, we've had the windows, hatch etc open all the time and this was the first time we have been invaded. 

Google has offered various suggestions but I'm still not sure what they were. Wondering if something seasonal like the flying ants. Windows and door open again this morning and none to be seen. 

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Chris T said:

Yesterday evening the boat windows inside were covered in hundreds of small black flies. Easy enough to get rid of 🤢 and then we closed everything up, but during this spell of warm weather, we've had the windows, hatch etc open all the time and this was the first time we have been invaded. 

Google has offered various suggestions but I'm still not sure what they were. Wondering if something seasonal like the flying ants. Windows and door open again this morning and none to be seen. 

 

I would not describe flying ants as small, they sound more like fruit/sewage/compost flies to me. Not much more than a large black dot.

[ditchcrawler]

Had the same here on the Weaver last night, when I went to bed I plugged the UV fly killer in, Had loads in there this morning . Definitely small black flies 

[Theo]

Sounds like Thunder Flies to me.  AKA Thrips.  They used to appear regularly every year when the oil seed rape was harvested.  Harmless but irritating.  They got behind the glass of famed pictures and died there.

 

I hesitate to kill any insects these days.  There are too few of them about to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

10 minutes ago, Theo said:

Sounds like Thunder Flies to me.  AKA Thrips.  They used to appear regularly every year when the oil seed rape was harvested.  Harmless but irritating.  They got behind the glass of famed pictures and died there.

 

I hesitate to kill any insects these days.  There are too few of them about to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

And it takes so many thunderflies to get enough to make spread for even one slice of toast. 😛

[Paringa]

Yes they emerge as soon as i open a can of paint.

[Stroudwater1]

7 minutes ago, Paringa said:

Yes they emerge as soon as i open a can of paint.

Whitefly are available if you are painting black or dark colours. 

[Chris T]

2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I would not describe flying ants as small, they sound more like fruit/sewage/compost flies to me. Not much more than a large black dot.

I meant the 'seasonal' part being like flying ants, hundreds one day and gone the next.  Similar size to a fruit fly but not those either and a different shape to thrips. 

[Alway Swilby]

Thunderbugs. Presumably what others here have called thunderflies. Very small black things.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a65423817/thunderbugs/

 

Edited May 31 by Alway Swilby

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Had the same here on the Weaver last night, when I went to bed I plugged the UV fly killer in, Had loads in there this morning . Definitely small black flies 

I found one of the corpse's still in the UV zapper. I laid it on a USB plug for scale 

 

[Russ T]

15 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I found one of the corpse's still in the UV zapper. I laid it on a USB plug for scale 

 

Is that a US🐝

[Chris T]

Could well be those, I tried to find a corpse to photograph but surprisingly I couldn't. The Good Housekeeping article says the thunderbugs are 1mm long, our critters were definitely bigger than that. It did rain heavily in the early hours though! 

[Theo]

Not thunderflies then.

 

Gnat?  Not  a mosquito.  Not sure what a gnat is and whether it bites.

[Chris T]

Not bitey luckily. I've just googled gnats and the photos make me feel quite nauseous. Maybe I'll just stick with little black flies and be glad it was a one day invasion. 

[LadyG]

How do I get rid of these tiny insects, they seemnto be replicating,  I keep food in  containers, but they are to be found everywhere, even in the fridge!

I managed to spray the bathroom and.its fan vent with dilute bleach, which has been effective, but only in the bathroom.

Ive tried, without success some bathroom spray, some kitchen spray, and of course ' fly spray'.

They appeared before the thunder.

Edited August 31 by LadyG

[smiler]

8 minutes ago, LadyG said:

How do I get rid of these tiny insects, they seemnto be replicating,  I keep food in  containers, but they are to be found everywhere, even in the fridge!

I managed to spray the bathroom and.its fan vent with dilute bleach, which has been effective, but only in the bathroom.

Ive tried, without success some bathroom spray, some kitchen spray, and of course ' fly spray'.

They appeared before the thunder.

Get some spiders. 😁

[GUMPY]

Thrips

Otherwise known a Thunder flies🤔

There will be a plant nearby or even in the boat that is attracting them.

 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/thrips

 

 

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a65423817/thunderbugs/

 

[LadyG]

42 minutes ago, smiler said:

Get some spiders. 😁

Yes ive got spiders, but they don't fly, must be the wrong kind of spiders.

PS I do have plants, but they are outside 

Edited August 31 by LadyG

[smiler]

21 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Yes ive got spiders, but they don't fly, must be the wrong kind of spiders.

Or not enough.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

The title of this thread sounds like the premise of the most rubbish sci-fi B movie of all time. Will the hero save the day? 

 

Invasion of the Small Black Flies

Don't bother seeing it at a multiplex near you!

[agg221]

27 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The title of this thread sounds like the premise of the most rubbish sci-fi B movie of all time. Will the hero save the day? 

 

Invasion of the Small Black Flies

Don't bother seeing it at a multiplex near you!

Along similar lines, I was wondering whether it was an ultra-low budget remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

 

It's my younger daughter's fault - she made me watch The Velocipastor (just don't)...

 

Alec

[EventualBoater]

1 minute ago, agg221 said:

It's my younger daughter's fault - she made me watch The Velocipastor (just don't)...

 

Alec

Oh no. 

I will watch some absolute stinkers sometimes, Ghost Shark anyone?

But Velocipastor...

Even that goes beyond me 🤣

[Hudds Lad]

5 hours ago, EventualBoater said:

Oh no. 

I will watch some absolute stinkers sometimes, Ghost Shark anyone?

But Velocipastor...

Even that goes beyond me 🤣

Sharks seem quite popular.

Sky Sharks

Sand Sharks

Ice Sharks

I think the Sharknado franchise is up to its 6th film now.

 

You should try some old classics, like Blood Beach, Snowbeast or Razorback!  

[EventualBoater]

12 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Sharks seem quite popular.

Sky Sharks

Sand Sharks

Ice Sharks

I think the Sharknado franchise is up to its 6th film now.

 

You should try some old classics, like Blood Beach, Snowbeast or Razorback!  

I watched the 80s Alligator the other week (not for the first time), that still stands up quite well. Heard of Razorback, not the other 2. 

 

The shark genre is a joke, 3 headed shark attack, sharktopus etc etc. I cant help but love a lot of them though. Sharknado was an amusing idea that just went on for too long. 

 

I watched Orca (came out this year I think) a couple of nights ago, utterly awful without a single redeeming feature to it. 

[Naughty Cal]

5 hours ago, EventualBoater said:

I watched the 80s Alligator the other week (not for the first time), that still stands up quite well. Heard of Razorback, not the other 2. 

 

The shark genre is a joke, 3 headed shark attack, sharktopus etc etc. I cant help but love a lot of them though. Sharknado was an amusing idea that just went on for too long. 

 

I watched Orca (came out this year I think) a couple of nights ago, utterly awful without a single redeeming feature to it. 

Don't waste you time with The Meg or Thrash either, terrible films.