By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Sciarid flies photographed above newspaper story
type the same size as newspaper body text.
About a year ago, said Norman Sato of Vector Control at the state Health Department, people in Kuliouou began complaining about a small, swarming, dark brown insect about the size and shape of a sesame seed. They swarm around lights, drop in your food and are generally annoying. Tiny flies swarm in
out of the rainSimilar reports began coming in from Mililani, Pupukea, Aiea, Kalama Valley, Ewa Beach and Kailua, and have picked up in the last month.
Apparently, the insects are Sciarid flies. These little guys are the adult versions of tiny grubs that feast on rotting vegetation in wet environments.
"Yeah, there's been a real bloom of Sciarid flies after the rains we had around the holidays," said entomologist Neil Evenhuis of Bishop Museum. "I just killed a couple on my desk."
We say "apparently" because the Scatopsidae family (dung midges) is similarly sized and shaped, only it appears in drier weather. Plus, one pretty much looks like another.
In the past, Sciarid larvae caused serious damage to pineapple roots, and also frustrated attempts to grow mushrooms commercially here. They aren't dangerous, however, and will vanish as soon as the weather gets drier.
Sato suggests spraying window screens with a flying insect aerosol; Evenhuis suggests clearing up standing bodies of water, such as those in an air-conditioner drain.
"There have been many more reports of insects swarming, such as ants, in the last year than ever before," said Sato. "It makes you wonder why. A change in our environment? A shift in the ecology? This area needs study."
By Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin