For Release October 24, 2000

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

If you are starting to get the feeling that this is the season of invading hordes of locusts, well, it’s not quite that bad. If you get the feeling that we are seeing a lot of invading insect pests this fall, you are right! The latest pests to enter the picture, or in this case your house, are various tiny members of the fly family and other gnat like insects..

Early last week, many folks started to notice throngs of small insects around their house, often congregating on the screens. These rascals are so small that they can go right through most screens. If your windows are open they start showing up on all sorts of things. They land on your paper, they land on you, they’ll even fly around between you and your computer monitor when you are trying to type. When you try to touch them or swat them, they can even jump like fleas.

Most of the what we were seeing last week were Hackberry Psyllids. While resembling gnats, Hackberry Psyllids are more closely related to aphids and cicadas. Hackberry Psyllids are the adult insect that, when a larvae, cause the bumps on the hackberry tree leaves. All summer long, the little larvae were living inside those little bumps. As the leaves drop off in the autumn, the larvae pupate and then the adult psyllids emerge from the bumps. You can go out, pick up the hackberry leaves and look at the little bumps (galls). You will find a hole in most of the bumps.

Just like the boxelder bugs, the psyllids are simply trying to find someplace to spend the winter. They will overwinter under loose bark, in plant debris, under shingles or inside buildings. They will stay in those overwintering areas until they come out of hibernation in the spring, just about the time that the hackberries are leafing out. Naturally, people with hackberry trees around their home or in their neighborhood are going to be more likely to experience these little pests.

Sprays of labeled insecticides can be used to treat exterior surfaces such as window screens, shutters and sides of buildings. Unfortunately, most homeowners find that this just brings a temporary reduction in numbers and I, quite frankly, do not encourage it. Keeping windows closed up and sealing up cracks and other small openings in your house, is a better solution. The good news is that unlike boxelder bugs, the psyllids are fairly small and not nearly as noticeable in the house.

With rainfall, and continued warm weather, we will probably see another wave, or two, of these insects in coming weeks. They may also be joined by other small critters. There are several small flies (gnats) that go by such names as drain flies or fungus gnats that can show up in the fall. The larvae of these gnats feed on decaying organic matter. In the fall of the year we have a lot of available food in the form of fallen leaves. When we have rain and warm weather, we can have explosions of these gnats in just a few days.

Again, keeping the house sealed up will probably be the best option to reduce the numbers that are in your home. Extensive exterior spraying just won’t do much good. Inside treatment should be restricted to occasional use of flying insect aerosol sprays or a vacuum cleaner in areas where the insects gather. They all are a nuisance, and I have them at my household too. The only real answer is colder weather in coming weeks, and a little patience until then.

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