Tiny white 'Stranger Things' flies spotted in Derbyshire being mistaken for snow

Clouds of tiny white flies have been spotted swarming in their thousands over some parts of the county.The creatures, which measure less than one millimetre in length, seem to fly directly in people’s faces, causing some to fear they’ve swallowed them.

One resident who spoke to the Derbyshire Times said he thought they looked just like snow, while others have mistaken them for ash or blossom. Some have likened them to the swarms seen in hit TV series Stranger Things. There have been numerous reports about the flies swarming across Derbyshire in recent days.

The creatures, simply called Whitefly, are out in force all over the UK at the moment, particularly during sunny weather. They are a relative of the sap-sucking aphid (greenfly) and though they love feeding off plants, they seem to be attracted to shiny cars and people’s coats.

Whiteflies are completely harmless to people but can be a pest in gardens, where they will gorge on the underside of leaves, with a particular preference for cabbages and other types of brassicas. It is thought that the hot weather the UK saw this summer created the perfect breeding conditions for them.

The good news, according to the Royal Horticultural Society, is that the glut of bugs creates a source of food for other food chain enhancing insects, such as ladybirds, lacewings, wasps and spiders, that all help control pests.