Non-biting midge

5971  These bugs appeared today in the thousands on our deck and screen door. Temperature here today reached 18C. Very small about 3 or 4mm. Hope you can identify them. Our location is Campbellford, Ontario and we are on the Trent River.

This is a non-biting midge (Diptera: Chironomidae)l see http://tinyurl.com/mpx96u3 for an image. These are close relatives of mosquitoes, and like them, their larvae are aquatic. Although harmless, these insects can occur in large numbers and make terrible nuisances of themselves.  Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.