Tiny white fuzzy bugs

Discussion in 'HortForum' started by texasvanessa, Jul 20, 2004.

  1. jadephoenix

    jadephoenix Member

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    Location:
    Leeper, PA
    According to my mother, this is the second summer they have been in the blueberry garden, up in northwestern Pennsylvania. This is the first time I've ever seen them! They look like fruit flies with white fuzz on them, up close, although at first I mistook them for dandelion fluff. I had no difficulty in catching them...I have four live insects in a jar right now. The first one I carried in my hands. It did not bite me. These are definitely flying insects, at least at this stage in their lives.

    Not counting the fur, which extends behind the insect by about 1/8th of an inch, the body itself is about 1/8th of an inch long. They have six legs, two black antennae, one set of wings which are longer than the body. The body appears to be bluish-gray in color, with white fur beginning around the eyes and getting longer as you go futher down the back. There are no distinguishable sex combs on the forelegs, as are visible with Drosophila melanogaster. The abdomen is segmented and also appears to be gray,with some white coloration. The fuzzy white substance appears to be a little sticky.

    If this is the same insect, please let me know. So far, they do not appear to be harming the garden.

    Thanks!
    Amy Sepan
    jade.phoenix76@gmail.com
     
  2. Claz28

    Claz28 Member

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    Location:
    South West WI.
    I live in South West WI. We have the little fuzzy white bugs also! At first we thought it was a piece of fuzz flying around until I cought one and saw it was a little black bug, with wings, and white fuzz on it! We don't have swarms of them but they are everywere you go! Me and my family think they are cute and I hate bugs! I will run around with the kids catching them. The only problem thier causing me is when they land in my hair and fly away leaving their white fuzz on me. I gess they are sprinkling me whith their fairy dust! LOL We call them Tinker Bell and they come from Never Never Land! LOL
     
  3. Claz28

    Claz28 Member

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    South West WI.
    Some people are saying they bite or jump! We havent seen them do that at all. They just sort of float around.
     
  4. jadephoenix

    jadephoenix Member

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    Leeper, PA
    I'm really beginning to think these are not the same bugs that they are talking about down south. These look more like black fruit flies with fuzz on then, and no, they never bit me, nor do they seem to be harming the plants at all. I wonder what they are...
     
  5. cbeck

    cbeck Member

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    Location:
    Lafayette, CO - USA
  6. MargaretnTX

    MargaretnTX Member

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    Location:
    Houston, tx
    i hate bugs

    Im glad to see im not the only one thinking something strange is going on. I found this site looking for the answer. I live in an apartment in Houston, TX and every morning when i take my dog out to the court yard its almost like it snowing outside there are so many of these little white bugs." i only see them in the morning and im not sure that these are the same because we really dont have any trees or anything like that right here where they would go. But a few days ago about the time i started to notice the bugs, i noticed that i have about 11 bugs bites on my arms....do these things bite??? because i know i itch.
     
  7. bellabeat

    bellabeat Member

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    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Wow, I live in Ottawa Canada and I think I have the same problem. In fact, I just now joined this forum so I can get help with them. They are all over my honeysuckle vines (which are covering my backyard patio trellis). We can no longer have dinner outdoors because they are falling all over the table, chairs, bbq, etc.
    some of you have described them perfectly but others sound a bit different. These ones are extremely bright white (all over), very small (smaller than an ant and I can't tell if they have 6 legs or 8, they live on the underside of leaves and in clusters. They seem to float down like ashes or dust and once they've landed, they don't seem to move AT ALL. I assumed that this meant they're dead. Is that so? Is there something more aggressive than soap and water to get rid of them? They're ruining the enjoyment of our backyard! I'm not sure if they're native to this area but I've never heard of not seen them before. PLEASE HELP!!
     
  8. MargaretnTX

    MargaretnTX Member

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    Location:
    Houston, tx
    i have found that dragon flies find these little bugs a tastey treat and about 6 of them have started flying around my court yard in the mornings. hope this helps!!
     
  9. Maralee

    Maralee Member

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    Location:
    Hays County, TX
    I think I found the answer: Hackberry wooly aphid. Go to http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74111.html - there is a picture that looks enough like the bugs on my hackberry that I think I have a major wooly aphid infestation. From what that article says, they don't seem to damage the tree or cross-infest other plants. The main reason to get rid of them seems to be to stop the sap spillage.

    The article refers more to the Chinese Hackberry common in California. For a description and pix of the eastern Hackberry, see http://forestry.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=forestry&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fw.vt.edu%2Fdendro%2Fdendrology%2Fsyllabus%2Ffactsheet.cfm%3FID%3D26.

    For more about wooly aphids, see http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/e453woollyaphid.html.

    Wooly aphids have a natural insect predator - a butterfly. See http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/bfly/harvester_butterfly.htm for details and ID.

    Hope this helps.

    Maralee
     
  10. Ivey!

    Ivey! Member

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    Location:
    Austin, TX USA
    "i have found that dragon flies find these little bugs a tastey treat and about 6 of them have started flying around my court yard in the mornings. hope this helps"

    I am in Austin and these little fuzzy snowy bugs are making me INSANE. My car is covered and our trees are severly infested. However, I have noticed a HUGE increase of dragonflies in our yard, especially in the evening. Reading the above post now makes sense of their presence.

    I'm curious if the Ahpids do in fact bite and sting. We have kitties who roam in the backyard, where they are most present. I'd like to find out if they are harmful to them and us!
     
  11. John O

    John O Member

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    Location:
    Hampton, Va
    Hello
    I live below Williamsburg , Va. I too had these little white fuzzy flies. Plus what looked like house flies on the same scrub bush bye my front gate. Going out my gate was horrible. Whites Flies and House flies apparently gobbling them. All buzzing me as I came in and out. I'd never seen anything like this. The flies were realling getting their fill it appeared.
    I had to declare War on these pests quick. 1st I tried Home pesticide in a gallon jug spray. Stuff is a couple years old and didn't seem to do much to either pest. I found a spray can of new flying insect killer. That had no immediate results either.
    Angry I pulled out my long garden hose with spray nozzle and blasted them for about 30 minutes. The flys left but the white bugs held on the leaves for dear life like a TICK. I did this 2 days ago. All appear gone today finally. I really don't know if I killed them or just ran them off. They are gone ((Smile))

    Perhaps all bugs take the hint to a good old water blasting.
     
  12. MargaretnTX

    MargaretnTX Member

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    Location:
    Houston, tx
    Anyone who lives in houston knows how much of a downpour we have recieved all summer. After the tropical storm a few weeks ago the bugs have seemed to subside and even go away, i havent seen them in the past few days....
     
  13. sadiejane58

    sadiejane58 Member

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    Location:
    chicago, IL
    My daughter and I are noticing these little insects. They look like lint, somewhat floaty but can change direction and definitely are flying. She has them in her clothes. When she went back to college she saw them fly out of her suitcase. Now they are all over her room and she said she hates to go to sleep because she breathes them in and feels sick in the morning. By the way, she camped at a rock festival in Tennessee in June. Did she pick them up there maybe? How can we get rid of these things, and did anyone ever figure out for sure what they are? She has many symptoms of parasitic infection (she's traveled all over, so that could be something else.) Anyone else experiencing this?
    Sarah
     
  14. John O

    John O Member

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    Location:
    Hampton, Va
    Well I found that Flying Insect Spray Cans seem to work on these fuzzy bugs. But it takes a while to work. They do multiply fast. In My case in Virginia the white bugs drew flies in addition. Flies find them quite tasty.
    I ignored these critters for about a week but when the house flies appeared I had to declare WAR on both at once. This old bush bye my front gate was covered with both. No one else near me had these things. Just Lucky me.
    I water blasted the whole bush an hour later and haven't seen either since. Next year I'll try to end this plague before it gets so bad like this year.
    Some call them aphids. They are nusience bugs and I believe we are all stuck with these mini snow flake bugs in our futures. Get them while the swarm is small. They will not leave on their own.
     
  15. bulldog2011

    bulldog2011 Member

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    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Hi,
    I'm a freshman at Gonzaga University and one day about a week ago, there were out of nowhere these tiny white flying bugs! I'm from Seattle and I thought in was cottonwood fluffy things flying around because we get that this time of year in Seattle, but I was soooo wrong! They are these flying fuzzy little white bugs.

    Nobody here really has any idea what they really are but they said that they normally come out in the spring time and it's not quite as bad as it is right now. It literally does look like it's snowing! They like to gather in huge swarms but I can't figure out a pattern. I've looked at some of the pictures some of the people posted and they don't really look like them. These bugs are white but they also have a slight blueish tint to them.

    I have this HUGE issue with little flying bugs especially when there are this many! I just want to know how much longer they are going to be here! Some days they're outside and some days they're not. It doesn't make any sense. They aren't everywhere in the city as far as I know. The University is right by the Spokane River so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it.

    I just want these bugs to go away so I can stop looking like an idiot when walking to class. The bugs freak me out so bad that I put on this windbreaker jacket I have, zip it up all the way, tie the hood so that pretty much only my eyes show, tuck my hands inside the sleeves and then cover my mouth!

    Somebody please help me!!!!!!

    PS. Unlike some other people have said, I haven't seen these bugs clustered on any one type of plant or seen them hop about. They just seem to fly but could be wrong I avoid them as much as possible so I don't really see them up close like on a tree.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2007
  16. John O

    John O Member

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    Location:
    Hampton, Va
    Welcome to Tiny White Bug World. Just think of them as Gnats that are more visible. They are harmeless but they do draw our attention. They won't go into you anymore than a mosquito will. Our carbon dioxide exhail might attract but bugs ain't stupid. They see teeth like we see teeth on a strange dog.

    Hang in there Buddy. Winter will kill them off soon. Just shake off really good before entering class or the Dorm.
    Good Luck! --------John
     
  17. bulldog2011

    bulldog2011 Member

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    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Thank you for your help. I found out a little later today that the rain makes them go away while it's raining, then they come right back out again. So, my friends and I are thinking about having a rain dance and pray that it rains a lot while we are waiting for it to get cold!

    Thanks Again!
     
  18. sodapoppaige

    sodapoppaige Member

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    Location:
    crystal lake
    Hello, my name is Paige,

    I am new to this, but this is just perfect for me, because I would really like to find out what these little creatures are.

    I live in Illinois and have yet to see them here.
    But I have seen them in Ohio!
     
  19. sodapoppaige

    sodapoppaige Member

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    Location:
    crystal lake
    I have been reading these comments over, and I believe that every one is confusing the little white floating bugs with aphids and fruit flies.

    The creatures that vanessa had been talking about, are all white, they have transparent wings, but in the sun they glow with color, they definitely do not look like lint.

    When I was in my grandma's garden, there were not swarms of them, just a couple. and all they were doing were just floating around...
     
  20. TreeSaw555

    TreeSaw555 Member

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    Location:
    Palo Alto, Calif USA
    Tiny white fuzzy bugs** PLEASE PLEASE HELP**

    I need some help with this. I have a dear friend over 80 yrs old who is not crazy...but has become nearly obsessed with a problem she has a hard time getting anyone to understand or believe. I have seen these tiny bugs & the "honeydew" only on one plant in her vast garden, I only saw them on the Corral Bells. She says these tiny white bugs are in her hair, sometimes her nose & eyes. Sometimes they make her itchy but it is not clear if they bite (no blood) or just due to the creepy-crawly feeling, she is scratching her scalp. She combed out her hair in front of me onto a mirror and I could see the same thing that was in her hair as we saw in the garden. She also claims she sprayed arosol products in her home and the bugs fell from the air onto the hand held mirror on the bathroom vanity. This is an otherwise sane woman and I am one of her few/only advocates. Her doctors and dermatologist kind of blow her off...
    If anyone has ever heard of this type of bug- or - the fuzzy aphid if that is what it could be, it is very tiny - has anyone heard of this ever "plaguing" a human? She has used lice treatments - it is not lice. I have seen lice, it does not appear to be that. It looks more like the 3 photos towards the first strings in this thread... it is like specs of dust or something but then they move! Someone from the county came out to try to see a sample we saved in plastic bags but they may have died by the time she saw them. She was told they are not living things. It is not dust. I am not nuts. I realize this seems crazy but I am trying to help her and validate this.
    I am thinking I may need to get more samples and get a credible person from a nearby university to help us....
    Please help....any ideas?
    Thank you.
    Treesaw555 in Santa Clara County, CA
     
  21. TreeSaw555

    TreeSaw555 Member

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    Location:
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    Take pictures of the tiny bugs

    If everyone could get photos of their bug and enlarge them and post them here, it will really be a big help.
     
  22. jewelry girl

    jewelry girl Member

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    Location:
    Morgantown, WV
    I know what they are! I have seen them for the last few years, but I seem to be on of the few who realize they are insects, most think they are pollen of some sort. They are very tiny white fluffy, cottony type flying bugs that I have always called, "angels bugs". They are really Wooly Aphids, I have discovered after some research. If you google 'wooly aphid, picture' you can see a picture of our cute bugs. I have seen more this year than ever before so this must be the year for them. They do leave a sticky residue behind, called "honey dew" that is hard to get rid of. I guess they can damage trees if there are enough of them. We haven't had any problems with them so far in my little corner of West Virginia!

    Hope this helps!

    Tracy
     
  23. angsaidso

    angsaidso Member

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    Location:
    Binghamton, NY, USA
    I took pictures of these bugs in North Carolina last year on a tree branch ... the brach was totally white with them. They were shaking their "tails" when I accidentally bumped into the branch with my camera lens. Otherwise they stayed still and the branch appeared to be covered in white mold. So I bumped the branch again and it came alive. I found these in Merchant's Millpond State Park. I will see if I can find the pictures and post them. There weren't any flying, they were not moving off the branch. I wonder if these things migrate and then settle in colonies?? Peace ~ Ang
     
  24. angsaidso

    angsaidso Member

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    PS ... Might there be an ant that can help control them I wonder?
     
  25. Argo

    Argo Member

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    Location:
    Dickinson, U.S.A.
    I am so glad there is a forum talking about these tiny bugs!! I live in Texas City (about 30 miles southeast of Houston). I have a 2 acre yard with over 20 trees (hackberry and tallow). We have seen these tiny white bugs on one of our hackberry trees for two months now. Everything under this particular tree is sticky and blackened. I now know that it is 'honeydew' and 'sooty mold'. I tried for 2 hours today to get a good picture of these white puffs and they are simply too small for my camera to pick up any detail. I did snap a couple of pictures of the other bugs that have seemed to gravitate to the same area (they are attached to this posting). I am not a bug girl, so other than the ladybugs I don't know what they are. I read a posting that ladybugs eat these little white bugs - and there are tons of ladybugs doing just that. I googled a picture of the 'wooly aphid' - and yes, many of them look exactly like it. But there are many that resemble it, but are slightly different. Maybe they are in a different stage of development. The branches affected most are losing their leaves. No other tree in the yard has been touched. I attached a picture of the affected Hackberry with a healthy tree 20 feet behind it. I have not noticed these white bugs biting any of my family. My biggest challenge has been cleaning the honeydew off of my lawn furniture and plants leaves. I am leaning towards buying more ladybugs. Does anyone know the difference between the red ladybugs and the orange-brown ones? And if anyone knows what the other bugs are (pictures attached) I would love to know.
     

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