Insect identification, part 300. What are these little black flies?
May 4, 2018 9:44 AM   Subscribe

Only one terrible picture, I'm afraid - they're about the same size and shape as fruit flies. Fifty or so tend to swarm about in a 2 x 2 x 2m area above our stone patio (in London) as the weather gets warmer. The mystery is there doesn't seem to be anything nearby for them to do or land on; no immediately proximate plants or standing water or fruit or any other visible food source. What are they and how do we get rid of them?
posted by srednivashtar to Home & Garden (6 answers total)
 
Outdoors, gnats? Wikipedia says those gather in "mating swarms" and some desultory searching around suggests that you wouldn't need actual standing water to attract those, just general moisture.
posted by inconstant at 9:47 AM on May 4, 2018


Yeah, gnats gonna gnat. Just wait them out, they will dissipate in the coming weeks. They like calm spots, so an outdoor fan will be super effective at keeping them away.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:54 AM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]


Ah, memories of standing at the bus stop with my hand up in the air to keep the gnats out of my face.
posted by mefireader at 9:57 AM on May 4, 2018


In the Northeast it's Black Fly Season. They're small and pack a punch.
posted by donaken at 10:15 AM on May 4, 2018


Hard to tell from the photo, but maybe some variety of chironomid? This article has a nice up close photo and lots of info about them and their habits. Where I am they are known as midges. They don't have mouths, so they don't eat or bite. They're just flying around having sex. And oh my god the swarming has begun here: *spits out midge*, *rubs midge out of eye*, *coughs up five more*.
posted by Secret Sparrow at 12:04 PM on May 4, 2018


Secret Sparrow has it - in Toronto, it's currently midge season - that looks like what you have there. *wears hats on dog walks so midges don't get in hair* *midge smears on windshield* *uses broom to get midges out of spiderwebs around porch light*
posted by peagood at 5:21 PM on May 4, 2018


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