<p>Our house is almost 12 years old and in the last couple of years, we’ve had more and more issues with tiny little bugs, which I assume are gnats, sneaking through tiny gaps between the screen and the window frame. </p>
<p>Some of our screens needed repair so I took them to the hardware store and they replaced the fabric, but since putting the screens back up a few days ago, we’ve had nightmare amounts of these bugs getting in when we have the windows open. Happened again tonight; at least they are attracted to the light, so I can usually turn off all the lights in one room except one, and they will all migrate to the ceiling above that light. Then I get them with the vacuum cleaner. </p>
<p>D2 has been vacuuming bugs up from her ceiling on and off for over an hour now, even though we closed the windows and turned the AC back on (we really don’t need it, but we just absolutely cannot keep the windows open anymore at night).</p>
<p>I’ve been waiting for what seems like forever for summer-like weather so I could open the house up, and now I’m shut in again because of these bugs.</p>
<p>I don’t have a solution but I’m certainly interested in any potential answers. We get small flying insects in from time to time - just a very small nuisance and I was wondering if there’s a simple answer such as attaching a finer screen or using a second screen that fits under the raised windowsill.</p>
<p>We have central air so we can just leave the windows shut all the time but I prefer to open them up when it is cooler in the evening and night.</p>
<p>Sounds like no-see-ums. You need better screening to keep them out. You need a finer mesh. They are coming right through the screen. The cheaper the screen “fabric”, the larger the holes. They likely replaced the screen with the cheapest screen fabric and they are flying right through the screening</p>
<p>When they replaced the screen did they use a different mesh with larger holes? If it is suddenly worse, i would suspect the new screens. I have trouble with them, too. I don’t think they are Noseeums because those bite. They are small Gnats. I wonder if their is something that you can spray on your screens to make repel the little guys.</p>
<p>Just went to the Anderson Windows site and they sell micro-fine stainless steel wire mesh screens (they’re four times as much as the conventional screens). Anyone have any experience with the upgraded stuff?</p>
<p>BCEagle- Yes, at our house we upgraded to the Anderson screens in a sun room. They were billed as letting significantly more light in, which was what got me interested. Side benefit- much fewer of the tiny bugs getting through and setting up camp between screen and window. It does make a difference, though of course, occasionally a bug will come in. The exterior window sills seem to stay cleaner with the upgrade also. I am very happy with the screens. They may be a bit more durable than the other ones, but time will tell. That said, I have yet to spring for the entire house to have the new ones.</p>
<p>EPTR, in my part of the country, no-see-ums don’t bite! Maybe what we call no-see-ums are gnats. We call the tiny biting ones sand flies. Regardless, you can rescreen with screen fabric with smaller openings. They do not have to be Anderson. Google screening. You can read about it. There must be 10-12 different types of screening, maybe more.</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments. I’ll have to go measure what we have and order a few. We have different types of windows in other parts of the house that are ancient and I don’t know if we can find replacements for those.</p>
<p>A screener can come to your house, use your existing screen frames, and rescreen with a variety of screening fabrics. They can order frames that need replacing.</p>
<p>I had them replace the fabric with the exact same kind of fabric that we already had on them. I think our issue has more to do with the screen frames just not fitting as well anymore. The windows are made by Casco.</p>
<p>In Florida there are multiple screening companies in any given location. They come out and can do it on the spot. There is also Home Depot. The fabric, the rubber tubing and that special tool are all for sale. IT LOOKS EASY when someone else does it. Me, I pay someone.</p>
<p>sunnyflorida - Yea, I actually bought some mesh at Home Depot and they showed me how, but then I found out I could take it to Ace Hardware and they could do it for me. Which is what I did (about eight screens). But I put them back in about five days ago, and it did not take care of the problem, so I think it’s an issue of the screen frame no longer fitting the window frame as well; in fact, I can see tiny gaps.</p>
<p>I have Andersen 400 series windows. I could write a book on how crappy these windows are, and the screens are no better. The metal frame is very flimsy and does not fit tight to the sill at all. Our house is also 12 years old. Asian beetles (ladybug type) and flies are a particular problem.</p>
<p>Spraying a long-acting pesticide around the perimeter of the window frame is very helpful if you are not adverse to this course of action. I’ve done it myself lots of time. The bug companies have chemicals that last even longer and through rain.</p>
<p>sryrstress - not that I would use harsh chemicals around my windows, you understand ;)… but did you have to spray it around the exterior (I’d need a really tall ladder for the one problem window we have), or can you do it on the interior. Or spray the screen frame and then re-install from the inside?</p>
<p>Agreed! The only windows we keep open at night are upstairs. All downstairs windows are closed and locked before the last person goes up for the night.</p>
<p>How often would anyone recommend spraying around the screens?</p>
<p>Well…I live on a farm and we control critters with every available method :)</p>
<p>I mixed up the chemical and water in a ordinary 2 gallon garden spray. Adjusted the nozzle and sprayed the perimeter of the window and sills. I think spraying the screens would really help. I was too lazy to take out all my screens.</p>
<p>The bug man sprayed the windows from the inside and outside. I was leery about staining the carpet, paint and trim. He assured me it wouldn’t and it didn’t.</p>
<p>Our living room is 14x26 and open the full two stories, so the windows are about
18’ up at the top of them. He stood on the floor and sprayed that high.</p>
<p>There is often a huge difference between the strength/grade of chemicals at a big box/WalMart store and somewhere that carries the “real” stuff. You can save time and money and get better results using the better version. Farm supply stores are often a good source.</p>