Weird Fly-like Bugs are Swarming the Heights

Over the weekend I spent a good 8+ hours fixing, repairing and replacing window screens at my house. Due to cats and kids, just about every screen in my house needed to be replaced. I apparently have odd sized windows so I could either get new ones custom made or make them myself with those screen kits you can buy at the hardware store. I chose making them myself. Next time, I might pay someone to do it because it was real pain in the butt.

As the weather warms up, the windows are open and obviously nobody wants a lot of bugs in their house. I saw a Facebook post last night from a Billings resident who was describing how their newly built house in the Heights has been covered by hundreds of fly-like bugs. They sort of look like a common housefly, but are just a little bit different.

Numerous residents echoed seeing the influx of bugs, with reports of them being seen on homes all around the High Sierra neighborhood, including Topanga Street, Del Mar, Benjamin and others. One bug sleuth posted a picture of the Dilophus bug that seems to be a pretty close match the homeowners image.

Some were commenting that the bugs seem to die off after a couple of days, so perhaps their life cycle is short? Tips I gathered from the comments to get rid of them included: peppermint oil spray, fly traps or a variety of commercially available sprays that you can spray around the windows and perimeter of your house.

What's next, another grasshopper infestation?