Black bugs are everywhere, our homes are inclusive.
Since open windows and doors are their usual entry points, it’s common to see a lot of bugs activity over there. Some of these window bugs are red. Others are yellow.
But among those, that bite and sting are the black bugs. Often, these black bugs are tiny and of course, are different.
In this article, we’ll differentiate the types and tell you about the most effective ways to remove each kind of tiny black bug found near the window.
What Are Those Very Tiny Black Bugs in the House Near the Window?
The truth is; that there are a variety of insects, aka bugs, that can infest your home.
Often, seasonal changes, indoor lighting, and environmental hygiene foster their infestation. Once they’re in, these bugs would look for sections in your house to build their colony.
In most cases, you will find these colonies in beds, cabinets, wall crevices, and even attics.
However, some bugs love to hide their colonies near the window. In this section, we’ll look at some of those very tiny bugs near the window. They are:
1) Carpenter Ants.
Carpenter ants are the most common tiny black bugs found around windows.
Like their name, carpenter ants love wood. So, it’s no surprise why you find them around windows, especially the wooden ones. Likewise, carpenter ants are also found near door frames, wooden staircases, decks, and downspouts.
Sometimes, you can even find them somewhere close to pipes and other fixtures. However, some other bugs on this list stake their hideouts in these places as well. So, how can you identify whether the bugs near your window or inside your house are indeed carpenter ants?
Well… the secret is in their body structure. Carpenter ants are usually small, black-skinned, and quick. Here’s a quick list of other signs that give carpenter ants away:
- Sawdust around window frames, door ledges, and room corners.
- Wall noises.
- Yearly ant visitors in spring.
Like termites, carpenter ants are great wood destroyers.
But unlike termites, carpenter ants don’t take wood for food. Instead, they consider wood (often damaged ones) as a foundation to build their tunnel systems. Inside these tunnels, they lay their eggs and use the holes as toilet windows.
Now, you are probably wondering why windows are glorious spots for these ants when there are other places in the house to get wood.
Well, the answer to that is because windows are often exposed to rain or tank leaks. Because of that, the wooden frames get moist. Over time, this damages the wood, thus creating a perfect island for carpenter ants to infest.
link to How To Get Rid of Love BugsREAD
- READ MORE: How To Get Rid of Love Bugs.
Fact Check: Do Carpenter Ants Bite or Sting?
Although, like most insects, carpenter ants are also blessed with heavy jaws. Normally, they use this set of munchers to eat through wood. But when in defense mode, these ants can use it to bite as well. However, these bites are not as dangerous to humans as the ones in fire ants.
Likewise, carpenter ants lack stinging apparatus. So, they don’t sting. As for the bites, it can be quite painful, may cause red swellings, and sometimes, can break the epidermis. For that reason, here’s a guide on the fastest way to get rid of carpenter ants:
The Fastest Way to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants from Windows.
- Identify their nesting points. You can check around the windows, door frames, and room corners for piles of sawdust.
- Kill off all ants in the colony with boiling water.
- Exterminate the identified colony with insecticidal powder. Then, sprinkle diatomaceous earth if available.
- Clean up all chemicals and ant trails with vinegar mixed with an equal volume of water in a spray can.
- Repair faulty plumbing fixtures.
- Take full-house hygiene as a routine.
- READ MORE: 6 Types of Ants That Bite.
2) Springtails.
If you notice that the little black bugs you have on your window are wingless but can jump, then there’s a high chance your bugs are springtails.
These insects are troublesome because they are usually all-year active.
This activeness even goes double when they see damp areas to infest. For that reason, they find all means to sneak into houses during spring or other times with a sharp drop in ambient temperature.
When these conditions are not met, springtails prefer to stay outdoors. Common places to find springtails include:
- Organic dumpsite
- Pile of wet wood
- Moist soil beds.
- Kitchen cabinets
- Bathroom and Jacuzzis
- Bathtubs
- Laundry room
- Basement
Normally, springtails would rather hide than show their face. But when windows are locked, springtail pops out and frequently jumps on your window screen.
This generates noise, and, of course, constitutes a nuisance. So, even though springtails don’t bite, the nuisance they cause is enough to want to remove them.
How to Get Rid of Springtails.
- Locate their nesting points.
- If the location is wet and near pipe leakages, fix all plumbing fixtures.
- Then, sprinkle the insecticidal powder on the infected area.
Springtails are attracted to moisture. So, one of the best ways to get rid of them is to prevent them from getting into the house. To do this, keeping a clean and dry house is key. Here are effective tips that can help you prevent springtails:
- When there are damp spots in your house, mop it, and use dehumidifiers or even a fan to dry it up.
- Replace or repair all damaged plumbing fixtures.
- If you have a houseplant, avoid wetting its pot too much.
- Keep a clean and dry surrounding; free of organic remains and stagnant water.
- Make general house cleaning a routine.
- READ MORE: 8 Bugs That Look Like Bed Bugs.
3) Gnats.
Gnats are a name that applies to a large category of tiny insects that fly.
According to some biologists, these tiny bugs can bite. To others, not all gnats can bite.
But whether biting or non-biting, gnats are just about the size of mosquitoes and they can be found around house windows. In fact, male gnats congregate in swarms around dusk.
Since not all gnats can bite, then if you are lucky to have non-biting ones as your pests, worry less.
However, even if the adult gnats don’t bite or destroy your house plants, their larvae are different stories. These attack in hundreds and within a few days, the plant root is gone.
Like all the other bugs on this list, gnats can also live near windows.
This goes double for houses with poor storage facilities for vegetables, spices, and fruits.
Not only that, if you have a potted flower placed on your windowsill, there’s a high chance you will receive visitations from gnats. This is because such gnats, otherwise called Fungus Gnats, lay their eggs in potted plants.
link to How To Get Rid of Love Bugs
- READ MORE: How To Get Rid of Love Bugs.
4) Drain Flies.
Drain flies, aka, sewer flies, sink flies, or moth flies, are true flies.
They have black colors, furry wings, and hairy bodies. In most cases, they are found in sewage systems and every other area close to leaking pipes. Sometimes, window sills are placed beside faulty pipes.
And that’s how window sills are homes to drain flies. Other common attractants for drain flies include:
- Kitchen sinks
- Floor drains
- Sewers
- Soak-away
- Wet and dirty mops
- Stagnant water and many more.
Now, if drain flies found their way onto your windows, within 4 days, their numbers would have doubled up.
This is because drain flies can reproduce within 2 days. Per laying season, a female drain fly can lay up to 300 eggs or even more. Yet, on average, each individual can live up to 24 days.
Yes, these details might appear as a perfect description for drain flies.
However, drain flies are often confused with other insects like fruit flies and phorid flies. To help solve the misconception and guide your control plan, here is a list of things you can do to confirm if the black bugs in your window are indeed drain flies:
The Duct-tape- Larva Test
- Start by lining your floor drains, sink drains, and other drains with duct tapes. This will trap some of the drain flies and give you a closer look.
- If the shape of your flies looks more like little black moths, then your pest flies are drain flies.
- To confirm further, try to remove the floor drains and take off some of the dirt within its mesh.
- Within the moist dirt, check for tiny, tube-like creatures. You may need a magnifying glass here.
- If you find the creatures, then your flies are indeed drain flies. This is because those tiny creatures you see are their larvae.
- If you can’t find the larvae but are sure that your pests are drain flies, it could mean that the eggs and larvae you seek live deeper in the drains. You can call an expert or continue with a trial drain-fly-treatment.
5) Phorid Flies.
Phorid flies, aka Scuttle flies or Coffin flies, are fruit flies’ doppelgangers.
So, many people often mistake them for each other. However, phorid flies have humpbacks, while fruit flies do not.
Then again, some phorid flies are the smallest flies on the planet. But despite being black, small, and winged, phorid flies prefer running for dear life to flying. So, that explains the name, “Scuttle Flies.”
According to science, scuttle flies are mostly outdoor insects. Often, they stay near flowers and decaying matter. But during summer, porch light becomes an attractant to phorid flies.
Right now, the reason is still obscure. But since most of us prefer our porch light near windows, our windows become a summer retreat villa for phorid flies who mate anywhere that’s moist enough. So, on getting to the windows, a few days later; breeding begins.
Aside from light, phorid flies also love dead, decaying organic plants and animal matter. These things emit very foul smells. So, Phorid flies love anything connected to sewers, floor drains, feces, rotten cadavers, and dumpsites.
Fact Check: Are Phorid Flies Attracted to Vinegar?
No. Phorid flies are not attracted to vinegar. In fact, vinegar is used as a repellent for most insects, rodents, and even raccoons. But then, there is a reason for this misconception. Drain flies and phorid flies look a lot alike. Drain flies, on one end, can be lured into a bowl of vinegar and then drowned. Such techniques are ineffective against phorid flies.
Simple Strategy to Get Rid of Phorid Flies from Windows.
- Locate the breeding sites. Common places to check include sewers near windows and dump bins placed near window sills.
- Eliminate any form of Phorid attractant before anything else.
- Eliminate all adult phorids with pyrethrin-based insecticides.
- Since phorids are attracted to light sources, you can use electronic bug zappers to lure and kill them.
- Mix a cocktail of essential oils like lavender and citrus oil. Apply to breeding sites as needed. This would help to repel the phorids.
With all that said, let’s sum things up. Black bugs can be found both indoors and outdoors.
Within the house, the window is indeed one of the most common places where you can find them.
Common examples of these tiny black bugs found near the windows are phorid flies, carpenter ants, drain flies, fruit flies, and springtails.
Most of these tiny black bugs are moist-loving. Some of them can fly. And a good number of them can bite. To control them, we’ve discussed species-specific techniques in this article. Do well to find your answers.