# Tiny, pretty little green flying bugs! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 4, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139 "2006-07-04T05:46:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/1 "2006-07-04T05:46:40Z")
This “no air conditioning” in the new apartment is taking some getting used to; I keep reminding myself that people lived without it for thousands of years. There are also multitudes of tiny, pretty little green bugs that fly around the lamps till I turn the lamps off, then they fly around _me_. They laugh at bug repellent (with so much Deet I have cancer _already_). I tried leaving a light on in a different part of the apartment, but they’re too smart to fall for _that_. You can probably see the damn things, there are three of them on my computer screen! See 'em, right up by the logo? Anyone know what they are and how I can keep them the hell offa me? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/2 "2006-07-04T06:24:59Z")
Gnats, maybe? I took an internet suggestion and left out little cups of dishwashing liquid and fruit juice for the little bastards to drown in, but other than that the sites all seem to say, “gnats? sorry, you’re screwed.” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/3 "2006-07-04T11:49:49Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > There are also multitudes of tiny, pretty little green bugs that fly around the lamps till I turn the lamps off, then they fly around _me_. Hmmm…I’m afraid tiny, pretty and green is a pretty slim description from which to work with ;). Tiny, pretty and green like this? [http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/green\_lacewing.htm](http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/green_lacewing.htm) Tiny, pretty and and green like this? ( yeah, this individual is not so green, but they can be bright green ) [http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/veg/aphid/green\_peach03.htm](http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/veg/aphid/green_peach03.htm) Plenty of other possibilities, but those are two common ones. Whatever they are, if they’re green you can bet they’re not regular apartment dwellers. Aphids might like your houseplants, lacewings won’t even want those. Just something that is going through a summer population explosion and found itself being swept into your place with that humid NYC air. At the very least you can have the satisfaction of knowing that whatever they are, they’re unlikely to threaten permanent residence. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/4 "2006-07-04T15:15:42Z")
They look more like the first one, and they’re only a little bigger than a comma in this sentence. The dishes of dishwashing liquid and fruit juice are empty and corpse-free this morning; the only thing I can think of it to not turn on my bedroom light at all at night and maybe they’ll stay in the living room. I have no houseplants, and the kitchen is clean (and on the other side of the apartment), so I dunno where they could be coming from. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/5 "2006-07-04T15:36:30Z")
Are they actually biting you? You have my sympathy, although I have no idea what they are. Perhaps a no-see-um mosquito net would be a good thing to get? ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/6 "2006-07-04T15:52:40Z")
My first thought for “little green bug” was some kind of [leafhopper](http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/images/cain915.jpg). Beyond that, though, I can’t be of much help. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/7 "2006-07-04T17:49:28Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > My first thought for “little green bug” was some kind of [leafhopper](http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/images/cain915.jpg). Oooh! They look a lot like those, only not that actual size, thank goodness. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/8 "2006-07-04T18:05:17Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > They laugh at bug repellent (with so much Deet I have cancer _already_). What about some form of flying insect killer, like Raid, for example? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/9 "2006-07-04T18:06:16Z")
Here’s a cool one: [http://www.photos-of-the-year.com/nature/showphoto.php?photo=16509](http://www.photos-of-the-year.com/nature/showphoto.php?photo=16509) Are they metallic or matte? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/10 "2006-07-04T18:07:47Z")
You may want to try flypaper as well. If you hang it in a corner, you won’t have to worry about getting caught up in it. It’s ugly as hell, but it works! ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/11 "2006-07-04T19:16:05Z")
Ooh. Once last year we had a sudden proliferation of bright turquoise ones of those. I had never seen anything like them and it was quite stunning. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/12 "2006-07-04T19:38:11Z")
Raid would not be a good plan, as I’d have to spray the whole damn apartment, and I would not survive to see the results. I like the flypaper idea! I will pick some up tomorrow, as that gives me the added pleasure of jeering at their dying thrashes. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/13 "2006-07-04T22:41:33Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Raid would not be a good plan, as I’d have to spray the whole damn apartment, and I would not survive to see the results. I like the flypaper idea! I will pick some up tomorrow, as that gives me the added pleasure of jeering at their dying thrashes. Way cool. The last flypaper I used came in a long curly strip. It looks like it’s been dipped in maple syrup. Very effective. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/14 "2006-07-04T23:10:06Z")
Thanks for the tip, **Kalhoun** : I rigged up my own flypaper for tonight, with paper plates and masking tape, which I attached to the bedside lamp and my headboard (all the stores are closed today). I wonder what to do for a longterm solution, though? Maybe these are temp bugs. I’ll keep you up to date on my Pretty Green Bug Slaughter. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/15 "2006-07-05T00:24:54Z")
You could always buy a nice [gecko](http://www.scserp.com/images/TokayGecko001.JPG). ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/16 "2006-07-05T00:28:54Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Thanks for the tip, **Kalhoun** : I rigged up my own flypaper for tonight, with paper plates and masking tape, which I attached to the bedside lamp and my headboard (all the stores are closed today). > > I wonder what to do for a longterm solution, though? Maybe these are temp bugs. I’ll keep you up to date on my Pretty Green Bug Slaughter. I’ll make one last pitch and then shut up. If your apartment is truly infested you can bomb it and return a few hours later with no ill effects to you. There will be a residual effect on the bugs, however. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/17 "2006-07-05T00:33:36Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Oooh! They look a lot like those, only not that actual size, thank goodness. I get tiny little leafhoppers all the time in my apartment. They get through the screens somehow. Thankfully, though, they don’t bother me — they hover around the lamps and, yes, my monitor late at night. I think it’s a function of living near a large number of trees in the summer. If they’re actually biting you, then I’m inclined to think they’re not leafhoppers. However, if they’re just bothering you, you might try sleeping with a fan on — they’re not terribly strong flyers. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/18 "2006-07-05T01:44:49Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Thanks for the tip, **Kalhoun** : I rigged up my own flypaper for tonight, with paper plates and masking tape, which I attached to the bedside lamp and my headboard (all the stores are closed today). > > I wonder what to do for a longterm solution, though? Maybe these are temp bugs. I’ll keep you up to date on my Pretty Green Bug Slaughter. Glad I could help! Hmmm…long term?..something tells me these are probably temps, like ants, ladybugs, or what have you. The only “permanent bugs” I ever had, unfortunately, were roaches, which are hard to get rid of in an apartment situation. Here’s the TrueValue Hardware store blurb on house flys, which I know isn’t your issue, but is still rather interesting: > [@](#): > > House flies > > \>\>Answer: There are many different commercially available chemicals which are properly-labeled for that specific purpose you asked about, but, as with all chemicals, they are only temporary, and fairly soon get weakened or washed off, diluted, or deactivated by the sun, air, or natural bacteria (or other microbes). They may only have any noticeable population reduction effects on the flies for 3-6 weeks. Within the scope of my job, I would only be (legally) allowed to “suggest” any particular product or chemical IF it were the ONLY one of its kind available for that particular function or use. Another potential problem is that true House Flies, Musca domestica L., have a long history of developing true resistance to several different chemicals after relatively short periods of exposure to those chemicals. In general, the synthetic pyrethroids [several of them, including the active ingredient in Tempo ™], are usually among the most ‘repellent’ of all insecticides. Regarding Golden Malrin™, that is a ‘bait ONLY’formulation, and cannot be “sprayed onto” any surface at all (according to its label). There are several other commercially available fly baits, and some have been claimed, by their manufacturers’ literature at least, to effect rather good control of House Flies and their relatives (under specific circumstances). You might want to consider contacting a commercial pest management firm to come and evluate your problem and suggest remedies. (You should get at least 3 estimates, compare them, ask any questions you may have, and even check the firms with the local Better Business Bureau BEFORE you sign any contract or pay any money.) Your local County Extension Agent may have some helpful suggestions as well. Additionally, consider using sticky fly-papers, or sticky fly-ribbons, or maybe even baited fly traps [such as the one by Farnham™ called: Catch-and-Pitch™], as adjuncts to any other treatment(s). There are also several brand names, and even more styles, sizes, etc., of Ultra-Violet (UV) bulb fly traps or “flying Insect Traps” (which either electrocute or stun the insects; many have a sticky glue board under their lights but do not ‘shock’ the insects at all) which can sometimes help reduce fly populations INSIDE buildings, but are much less effective outside. It would be best for some Pest Management Professional (PMP) to actually see and evaluate her specific problem before making fly control (fly management) suggestions. The other bummer, which I found whilst cruising around on where to BUY fly paper, is that Ace Hardware carries a 24-sheet package for like $86!!! That seems insane to me. Maybe there’s a local joint that will sell you just a few. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/19 "2006-07-05T01:46:03Z")
And I can’t believe I typed “flys” instead of “flies.” D’oh! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139/20 "2006-07-05T20:43:45Z")
Maybe they’re flying [aphids](http://www.johnsonsflorists.com/aphids.jpg)? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-pretty-little-green-flying-bugs/363139.md?page=2)