Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
Home » Frass
Photo#1641513
Tiny Swarm of Insects, First Warm Day
Copyright © 2019 Margy Stewart

Tiny Swarm of Insects, First Warm Day
Junction City, 15 mi. SE, Geary/Flint Hills/Tall Grass Prairie County, Kansas, USA
March 10, 2019
Size: 1/16-1/8"
These tiny gnat-like creatures were flying in a swarm in our bottomland prairie restoration, next to McDowell Creek. I despaired of getting a fix on them but one landed for a nano-second on my laundry basket and I was able to click 2 photos before it flew. Not the best--but they do show the morph.

Images of this individual: tag all
Tiny Swarm of Insects, First Warm Day Tiny Swarm of Insects, First Warm Day
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Margy Stewart on 10 March, 2019 - 6:04pm
Last updated 10 March, 2019 - 7:30pm

Frassed
Moved from ID Request.
… John F. Carr, 10 March, 2019 - 7:30pm login or register to post comments

Orthocladiinae
Chironomidae subfamily Orthocladiinae. Males of most species in the family form mating swarms, sometimes small and sometimes millions of flies. Some Orthocladiinae fly in cold ewather. You may see subfamily Chironominae tribe Tanytarsini in a few weeks and the Chironomini after that.

Orthocladiinae often survive in drier habitats than Chironominae, most of which are strictly aquatic as larvae.
… John F. Carr, 10 March, 2019 - 7:30pm login or register to post comments

 
Thank you so very much! I se
Thank you so very much! I see from previous posts that my little guy is a male. I must start to look for midge eggs in the creek! I appreciate greatly the time you took to give me information about this family as well as an ID. Because of you I am learning so much!
Gratefully,
Margy
… Margy Stewart, 10 March, 2019 - 8:16pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact