My lawn was doing just fine and today I noticed it’s infested with these flies/gnats looking things. A quick google search revealed they can be fungus gnats. Any advise? I recently got a bird feeder and birds are making a mess dropping the seeds everywhere. Could this be the root cause?
by Dahenlicious
15 Comments
https://preview.redd.it/ik6havm4jmwe1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5af973c95162d335a476c188d550f1b4bda9a44
Do they look like this closeup?
Possible carpenter ants.
Grok
The bugs in the image appear to be a type of ant, likely Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), based on their small, dark bodies and the way they are clustered together on the grass. Argentine ants are known for forming large colonies and being highly aggressive toward other insects, which might explain why they seem to be swarming around what looks like another insect—possibly a prey item, like a small beetle or another ant species.
Here’s why I think they’re Argentine ants:
• Appearance: They are small (about 2-3 mm long), dark brown to black, with a slender body and a single node between the thorax and abdomen.
• Behavior: The clustering and swarming behavior is typical of Argentine ants, especially when they’re attacking prey or defending their territory. They often overwhelm other insects in large numbers, as seen in the image where they’re surrounding a reddish insect.
• Habitat: Grass is a common place to find them, as they forage widely in open areas.
The reddish insect they’re surrounding could be a fire ant or another small bug they’re preying on. Argentine ants are known to be opportunistic feeders and will attack other insects for food.
If you’d like a more precise identification (e.g., based on location or more specific traits), I’d need to search for additional information or a higher-resolution image to confirm the species. Would you like me to search for more details, or do you have additional context, like where this photo was taken?
Love bugs
Mydas Fly
Black soldier flies? Compost pile nearby?
Black soldier flies. They are friendly, cannot bite, and break down organic material.
They are love bugs… super annoying assholes that fly and have sex in the air
Blister beetles. They’re all over NJ right now
“Love bugs” as far as I know they’re harmless but they’re very annoying when they start flying around. Apparently they’re “doing it” but mostly they just fly at head level and annoy the shit out of you. Or they are March Flies, which look the same minus the red dot and are found in wider and colder regions than love bugs.
They should all have sex and die in a few weeks and you’ll be good. They shouldn’t do any damage to the lawn.
Bugs
Get the bug finder app its amazing
Eat the paint off the front of your car when you drive bugs
Flame thrower….
Hold the camera still for three seconds and maybe I could identify those bugs…