very tiny light/dark brown/orange insects found on windowsills

17 years ago

Hi, I live in a house in California and I've noticed these very very tiny insects on the windowsills a couple of weeks ago in some of the rooms...they range in size from the point of a pin to no larger than 1/8 of an inch long. They range in color from brownish to orange, the larger ones are brownish and clearly have wings while the smaller ones don't have them, but they can either jump or move very quickly as they can discern shadows and run and hide into the cracks of the wood in the windowsill or jump or fly out of harms way. I sprayed some raid, but they still seem to be coming back, though not in the great number as before. I'm sorry I don't have pictures. I hope they aren't termites. They seem to come out at night more so than during the day. I've never seen these insects before living in my house of 10 years. Does anybody have any ideas what they could be?

Comments (7)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
I am sorry, but that is not enough of a description for us to determine what kind of insect (or other) you might be seeing.
bugged
Original Author
17 years ago
I don't know what else I can say about the insects other than the larger ones clearly have antenna's. The wings on the larger ones are transparent like any other insect...I am unable to take a picture of them, but isn't there something that I've said that might come close to something that is known? Should I try to count the tiny legs of a dead one? Would the number of legs help you?
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Day_By_Day
17 years ago
Let me guess, six legs?

I'll take a chance with a member of the Mycetophilidae clan.

Here is a link that might be useful: How about one of these?
Day_By_Day
17 years ago
Better yet, how about this guy?

Here is a link that might be useful: A better possibility
bugged
Original Author
17 years ago
It's impossible to count the number of legs without not squishing it first. Since these insects look like they are feeding on the wood of the windowsill, I can only assume they are some type of woodeater. I just saw one of them crawl out of a crack in the wood of the windowsill near where the windowsill itself and the metal frame of the window pane meet and crawled back in. I don't have a magnifying glass, but it appears to me that there are minute wood shillings leftover on the edge of the window pane metal frame near the crack in the wood of the windowsill. Is it a definite possibility that it is some kind of woodeater, but not a termite since termites are much bigger in size. These are no more than an 1/8th of an inch in length and are even slimmer in width. This last one I saw I figure to be about 1/16th of an inch, but this one looked more darker brown than the others.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
I would be tempted to call in a professional, bugged. You can't rely on us to try to ID this troubling 'bug' sight unseen. Especially when you are suspicious that it might be doing some damage. Right?

This critter may be taking advantage of a moisture situation, of dry rot, or other situations that have nothing to do with damaging your home. But wouldn't you rather find out for CERTAIN? If it were my home, I'd be looking through the yellow pages tomorrow.
Day_By_Day
17 years ago
Anything like this?

{{!gwi}}