No-Seeums
Biting Midges
Black Gnats
Sand Flies
More commonly known as a No-See-Um, sand flies are tiny little blood suckers. They are found near water and most of the time fly in swarms looking for the next meal as they need the blood to produce eggs. They are often confused with midges, and many call it a biting midge.
- Fly Species
- sand flies, no-see-ums, no-see-ems, noseeums, sand gnats, black gnats, biting midges, granny nippers, chitras, punkie, punky
- Family: Ceratopogonidae
- Locations
- Found in almost any aquatic or semi-aquatic habitat throughout the world.
- Size
- 1/25 - 1/8 inch (1 - 3mm)
- Identify
- Very small, gray, and they bite.
- Wings are covered in dense hair that contain patterns biologist use to identify the species.
- Life Cycle
- Eggs typically hatch within 2-10 days.
- Larvae go through four stages called "instars" from 2 weeks to a year.
- The larvae pupate for 2-3 days
- Males emerge before females and are ready to mate when the female emerges
- Conditions very depending on species and temperature
- Life Span
- Lives only a couple of weeks under natural conditions, but have been know to live several weeks in lab condtions
- Breeding
- Mostly marine environments.
- Tidal areas, moist marsh areas, mud, plant debris, freshwater areas, and damp rot holes of trees.
- Feeding
- Only females bite. They get blood from mammals, birds, or reptiles for the protein to make eggs
- Male no-seeums feed on nectar
- Congregation
- Shrubs, leaves, and foilage near water
- Often swarms together
- Travel
- Within 350 feet from their breeding area
- Health Importance
- A nuisance to anyone doing outdoor activities such as fishing, camping, hiking, etc
- Annoying bites become itchy and cause red spots and possibly an allergic reaction
- How to Kill / Control
- To get rid of no-seeums:
- Exclusion
- Use Fly Traps and Fly Sprays
- Use insect repellent when outdoors
- Use Gnat Repellent (from our mosquito-zapper website)
- Mosquito Traps work well for no-seeums (also on mosquito-zapper.com)
- Move away from swarms. They do not travel far and won't follow
- Wear pants and long sleeves
- View our Fly Control page for extended information on these methods.
- Extra Info
- There are over 4,000 species of no-see-ums / biting midges
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