This very tiny fly which I happened to find on my patio door is a Simulium. It is from a genus of black flies which are between 3 and 7mm (0.1 and 0.3in) long. Not to be confused with aphids, these are biting flies which suck blood, including human blood, and which can cause serious health problems in some countries. Also referred to as biting midges, we can sometimes get plagues of them over here in the summer. It is the female that bites, and after feeding she will lay her eggs in water where the larvae will hatch. They are usually found where there is permanent or semi-permanent running water like streams and rivers. This is mostly likely a male with the larger holoptic eyes. There are several species in Britain, so it is hard to pin down the exact one without microscopic scrutiny.
September 2017, Staffordshire, England.
Nature Journeys 
I experienced those in Canada, they were a nightmare if you were working in the bush, or walking through it! Fantastic photo of such a tiny insect Pete.
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Thank you, Jude 🙂 I didn’t realise this was a biting fly at first. Gnats tend to like biting me, so thank goodness this one did not try it on with me!
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Beautiful but I don’t like flies that bite
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Thank you 🙂 Neither do I.
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That’s a very fine photo, Peter, and not a subject I’ve ever seen at such close quarters.
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Thank you very much, Tish 🙂
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Never seen any of the biting types this close up before. It surely has a thin abdominal area… Guess he is biting because he’s hungry then… Lol. Glad no-one was bitten during this session….
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I could hardly tell it was a fly it was so small until I got close with my lens. I couldn’t believe what an odd-looking fly it was! Yes, I am glad I was not bitten 🙂
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Terrific shot! Hard to imagine that such a tiny insect can cause such harm.
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Thank you, Belinda 🙂 I believe some species can cause some kind of river blindness in some parts of the world.
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You did well to capture an image of an insect so small 🙂
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Thank you, Vicki 🙂
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Look at this machine! Wow, great macro ++ Pete. Now I ‘know my enemy’ – haha.
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Haha! 🙂 Thank you, Eliza 🙂 It is indeed quite a machine of nature’s making.
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Wow, great photo! I’m going to name it Irma and hope it flies away (no pun intended). Pray for us Floridians.
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Thank you, Judy 🙂 I will indeed.
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Pete, how marvellous that you capture these minute creatures that many of us would never notice or see in such detail. It’s a real eye opener. Not to mention fabulous photography 😊
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You are really kind, Diana, thank you 🙂 Despite all that I have seen and photographed, I still am like a little kind when I see new things and get quite excited 🙂 It’s a kind of magic I hope never dies 🙂
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What a great shot! The eye detail especially.
Remind me again what macro lens you use Pete, please?
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Thank you, Ark 🙂 I use a Sigma 105mm macro lens, but because this fly was too small, even for a macro lens, I clipped a Raynox DCR-250 conversion lens to the end of my macro which got me a wee bit closer.
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Good grief! You had that much time to attach a converter, too?
Did you let the fly get drunk on your Johnny Walker first that it sat still for so long?
🙂
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Lol! Thankfully the convertor was at hand, and it only clips on in a matter of seconds. It takes longer to get it out of the box. I should have given the fly a few more shots of Johnny Walker for I only managed to get a few shots in before I disturbed it.
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Great picture.
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Thank you, Brian 🙂
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Great pic, but have recently been bitten by one of these bad boys (or girls) and am now on a sort of steroid/antibiotic cream to deal with the fall-out. So not a fan of bitey flies and gnats.
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Thank you, Jill 🙂 Sorry to here you have been bitten. I always get bit by gnats, always in the same place on the same left leg. They never seem to heal, but I am giving them a run of the steroid cream. So me no fan either 🙂
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