The tiny white 'Stranger Things' flies swarming over Harrogate being mistaken for ash or even snow

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.

Other residents have mistaken them for ash, blossom or even snow, while some have likened the swarms to the ‘upside down’ in the hit TV series Stranger Things.

The creatures, simply called Whiteflies, are out in force all over the country at the moment, particularly during sunny weather.

They are a relative of the sap-sucking aphid (greenfly) and although they love feeding off plants, they also seem to be attracted to shiny cars and also people’s coats.

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Whiteflies are completely harmless to people but they can be a real pest in gardens, where they will gorge on the underside of leaves, with a particular preference for cabbages and other types of brassicas such as cauliflowers, turnips and broccoli.

It is thought that the hot weather the United Kingdom saw this summer created the perfect breeding conditions for them, hence why they seem to be everywhere at the moment.

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

However in warm climates and particularly in greenhouses, whiteflies present major problems in crop protection.

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