Hackberry psyllids are back.  We are getting reports of these tiny black colored, jumping bugs that are attracted to homes and other buildings.

Psyllids are a group of small insects called jumping plant lice, and the name fits.  They are tiny, plentiful at times and they do jump when disturbed. 

In the late fall adult Hackberry psyllids emerge and fly, sometimes congregating on windows and screens.  They are often described as tiny black jumping insects and are quite small - small enough to actually pass through the mesh of many window screens.  That is why homeowners report them as being a nuisance in the home.  They also fly to windows again in the late winter or early spring when temperatures begin to warm.

Under a microscope Hackberry psyllids resemble miniature cicadas – large eyes and with wings held roof-like over the back. 

They pass the winter as adults and lay eggs again during the spring time on the emerging leaves of hackberry trees. When the eggs hatch, the tiny nymphs act like other gall-making insects by causing the leaves to form the distinctively shaped gall that they are named after. The tiny nymphs live and grow inside this protective gall. As summer progresses, the leaves can sometimes be covered with them.