Where do they come from!???

[al]

Since clearing out the garage and stripping + repainting the window and door
frames, some wildlife has suddenly appeared! One end of the garage is,
obviously, the garage door onto the driveway. The other end is an access
door with a window beside it - north facing, so not too much sun getting in.

All around the window frame there are now hundreds of little mozzies ... or
at least I think they are. They are tiny wee midges and make a high pitched
buzzing sound. I killed em all stone dead with some wasp spray and cleaned
up. Looked the following weekend and the place was crawling with them
again, though some had conked out most likely due to residue of wasp spray!

Now I'm far from a insectologist (I'm sure there's a word for that ...
but don't mozzies need stagnant water to breed? This weekend was the only
rain for almost two months!

Any ideas what they are, why they're there and how to get rid of them? It's
horrible to open the door in there now.



a

 

[parish]

Now I'm far from a insectologist (I'm sure there's a word for that ...

Yes, Entomology

 

[al]

Yes, Entomology

Well thank you for that ;o)

If there are any entomologists out there, amateur or otherwise ...!?

One other possible thing of note - I currently have 2100 litres of bark in
there waiting to be put to use. Don't know if this would encourage their
growth or not.



a

 

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes, Entomology

No. Entomologist.

 

[Peter Ashby]

One other possible thing of note - I currently have 2100 litres of bark in
there waiting to be put to use. Don't know if this would encourage their
growth or not.

What do you think? How long had that bark been sitting somewhere before
you had it delivered? It strikes me that it is possible the beasties are
congregating by the window because that is the main source of light and
they are sourced from the bark. Think compost heap, that is what you may
have in your garage, hopefully sans hedgehog or grass snake ;-)

If you want a definite id on the beasties find one, dead will do and
either describe it or post a picture on a website and ask the question
in uk.rec.natural-history (ignore the threads from the crazies) there
are some knowledgeable people in there.

Peter

 

[PoP]

One last thought are you sure they aren't flying ants? you may have an
ant colony in your wall.

As far as I know there is only one or two days in a year when the ants
come out to fly around to get laid. That occurs sometime around early
July if memory serves me right.

I'd be happy to be corrected, but I find it doubtful that these are
ant species. More likely to be dragonfly or some other pest I imagine.

PoP

 

[Peter Ashby]

I'd be happy to be corrected, but I find it doubtful that these are
ant species. More likely to be dragonfly or some other pest I imagine.

Dragonflies require large ponds or clear running streams full of
wildlife to breed as their young are highly carnivorous. They will eat
tadpoles for eg.

Peter

 

[al]

They need standing water, sunlight to make algae and at least a week. I
doubt what you have are mozzies.

Only been sunlight recently so I'm with you there!

Sounds like something was breeding in your door/window frame/walls and
you have let them out. Get your goggles and face mask on and spray them,
then find out where they are coming from, ie what is wet/rotten and fix
that. I suspect the insects are only a symptom, you need to find the
cause.

Suppose it could be. I've sanded down, polly-filled and primed +
double-glossed over it all though, I don't see any gaps! On the outside,
the window sill was completely rotten so I chiselled it out as best I could
and nailed in fresh wood. It wasn't "wet" in the wood I removed at all,
just totally destroyed by years of damp winters and no re-painting.

When I've killed the little beasties before and swept them away, I haven't
seen where they've come back from. Just the next day that there's a whole
bunch back swarming around the window.

One last thought are you sure they aren't flying ants? you may have an
ant colony in your wall.

Positive - I have a personal vendetta against all ant-kind and know very
well what they look like ;o)



a

 

[al]

I'd be happy to be corrected, but I find it doubtful that these are
ant species. More likely to be dragonfly or some other pest I imagine.

Dragonfly are normally a couple of inches long aren't they!? These are
about 2-3mm in length and make a high pitched fizzing noise.



a

 

[al]

What do you think? How long had that bark been sitting somewhere before
you had it delivered? It strikes me that it is possible the beasties are
congregating by the window because that is the main source of light and
they are sourced from the bark. Think compost heap, that is what you may
have in your garage, hopefully sans hedgehog or grass snake ;-)

Well, it is in 100l closed bags rarther than the cubic meter bags that are
filled by dumper (had a special offer on at the time and turned out cheaper
than the £45 cubic meter ones!). Still ... was of the opinion that all
midge type beasties needed stagnent water to breed?

If you want a definite id on the beasties find one, dead will do and
either describe it or post a picture on a website and ask the question
in uk.rec.natural-history (ignore the threads from the crazies) there
are some knowledgeable people in there.

Would be a good idea if I had a good enough digi camera to zoom up on them
(they are tiny!). I think 1.5m is the closest I can shoot with it, it's a
cheap & cheerful one that's good at big outdoor pictures!



a