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NO-SEE-UMS
DESCRIPTION:
No-See-Ums are also known as Biting Midges, Punkies, or Sand Flies. These tiny, biting flies are only 1/25” to 1/10”, small enough to pass through screens. You may not see them, but you will notice their hot, painful, stinging bite. The cutting mouthparts slice your skin and their salvia keeps your blood from clotting until they finish sucking blood. Welts and lesions from the bite may last for days. They can become unbearable at dawn and dusk, especially from mid to late summer. They are attracted to light and will rest on the outside of buildings and enter homes through the slightest crack. Sometimes they fly into people’s eyes, ears, and mouth. Swarms produce a high-pitched whine from the thousands of tiny beating wings.
These no-see-ums resemble mosquitoes, but the body is stouter, the proboscis is shorter, the legs are rather short, and the two hairy wings are shorter and broader. They have a small brown head. The males have a plume-like antenna. They breathe by means of blood gills after the manner of fish.
Eggs are laid in water or in moist decaying organic matter, and hatch in about three days. The eggs are often held together in masses or in strings by a gelatinous secretion. Larvae are cylindrical and thin-skinned, with a distinct head. Larvae eat decaying plant matter. Most species develop in the standing water along the margins of ponds, ditches or lakes, and in rot holes of trees. Larvae mature in about four weeks, float to the surface, pupate, and adults are released to the water’s surface. No-see-ums are important food for fresh-water fishes.
CONTROL:
Use these non-chemical controls as much as possible:
Ø Wear protective clothing such as long sleeved shirts and long pants.
Ø Avoid use of outdoor lighting, especially during early evening hours.
Ø Eliminate breeding sites. Empty receptacles that contain stagnant water.
Ø Move about. No-see-ums fly near their breeding site.
If chemical controls are necessary, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Ø Apply an insect repellant.
Ø Use residual and contact insecticides.
References:
Destructive and Useful Insects, C. L. Metcalf, W. P. Flint, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York, NY
The Audubon Society Pocket Guide of Familiar Insects and Spiders
Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Control Operations, Gary W. Bennett, PhD, John M. Owens, PhD, Robert M. Corrigan, M.S., Edgell Communications, Duluth MN
The University of Georgia and Ft. Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and counties of the state cooperating. The Cooperative Extension Service offers educational programs, assistance and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability.
