I have had black 1/4 inch bugs on the side of my house. There are
about 100 of them clustering on the bricks of my house. They are
slow-flyers and have an orange abdomen, but the wings are solid black.
They look like they die in about 3-4 days because there is a pile of
them on my front porch. This is our first year with this in our house
of 5 years. They do not want inside, and we have not found any inside.
They look like lightning bugs without the glow!

Dear sboyd4-ga

As promised I have returned with an answer!

I contacted a specialist at the University of Arkansas Cooperative
Extension Service and she immediately knew what ?bug? I was talking
about. The little critter is formally known as a DARK WINGED FUNGUS
GNAT, also known regionally as a ?shore fly?. It is a harmless,
fungus-eating fly that is related to the ?love bug? commonly found in
the early summer months from Louisiana to Florida in particular. The
specialist informed me that the insect poses no harm (other that its
irritating presence) and its life span is so short that chemical
eradication is not recommended. The bug is not tolerant of heat so
when the summer weather becomes warm and its food source dramatically
declines, it simply dies out until next year.

Here is one common variety of the fly:

DARK WINGED FUNGUS GNAT
http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/misc/dwfg.html


PS:  They?re all over one of my exterior walls too. I feel your pain.


I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS


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DARK WINGED FUNGUS GNAT

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 16 May 2005 13:05 PDT

Thank you very much for your generous tip!

tutuzdad-ga

Thank you so much - I have been searching for an answer for a couple
of weeks, I wish I had done this sooner!

Do your insects look like this? If so, they may be soldier beetles.

http://www.botanicusgallery.com/images/b5beetle_001th.jpg

These are beneficial insects. They won't harm you and are not likely
to try to enter your home.

No this isn't it because the top of the body and head are black. The
only orange is on the underside. Also the wings are a little more
rounded, like a teardrop and they overlap when there resting on my
house.
Thank you!

I know exactly what you are talking about. In fact, I am holding one
in my hand right now trying to find out what they are. If I am
successful I will get back to you.

tutuzdad-ga

Thank you!