Photo: Jody Green
(Des Moines, IA) -- Local people on social media are asking about those tiny little black flies that bite... and it hurts.
"We are often troubled by a tiny black and white insect that bites and causes pain that is way out of proportion to the size" Said Iowa State University Entomology Professor Donald Lewis.
Many people call them No-see-ums... or gnats... Lewis says they're actually pirate bugs. He says the cooler weather makes them more aggressive as they're looking for food.
"And at random they land on us, particularly the bare skin, poking your skin to see if you are an aphid or are you an egg and when they find out you are not they move on." Lewis said.
The hard freeze expected in much of Iowa early Saturday morning will help kill off the pirate bugs, but probably not all, says National Weather Service Meterologist Ashley Bury.
"I'd like to say yes, but we're going to warm up a little next week and we might see a few more." Bury said. "At least until we get later in the month."