(Radio Iowa) – The number of insects flying around has picked up as we head into summer. Iowa State University insect specialist, Zach Schumm, says he’s heard reports of one in particular. “Small black flies that actually bite. You can call them buffalo gnats, you can call them biting midges, there’s different names for them as well so they tend to be an annoying one too that has been seemingly particularly bad in some parts of Iowa this year,” Schumm says.

Some areas got much needed weekend rain — but the trade off will be more mosquitoes. “For mosquitoes in particular they really need standing water to reproduce,” he says. “So if we have a lot of standing water around or if you know if rain is replenishing puddles of water that are on the side of the street or replenishing water in ponds and there’s more standing water there then that’s going to allow for more reproduction of mosquitoes.”

Schumm says you should take a look around your yard and empty any of the water sources that might provide a place for the mosquitoes to breed.