No See Ums Screen vs. Regular Screen: What is the Difference?
Have you noticed more of the smaller bugs making their way into your home lately, and can't figure out why? An easy but overlooked reason may be the screens in your windows. Yes, the screen you have in your windows and screen door matter, and there are multiple types, depending on the types of bugs you have to deal with where you live. Just like with tires for your car, where you need special winter ones if you live in an area that gets plenty of snow, if you live where those tiny, no-see-um bugs are, you need to think about your screens.
Those little bugs can get through your normal screens and require a special kind to at least keep them out in your yard. If this isn't something you have thought about before, the experts at MosquitoNix are here to help. Learn the difference between regular screens versus no-see-um screens, ways to keep no-see-ums and other flying insects out of your home and what to do if you need additional help.
No-See-Ums
Before we completely dive into what screen is best for what situation and why, you should learn a little bit about what a no-see-um is. No-see-ums, gnats and sandflies are all small flying insects that are near-impossible to see at first if you don't know how to look for them. Their individual size is extremely tiny, which is why it's easier to find them when they swarm. They create a swirling vortex of little black dots that you can catch just right in the setting or rising sun. It's almost like once you see a swarm of them, you can't unsee them.
These insects are more annoying than any type of dangerous predator for humans, but they still aren't something you want in your home. They can bite humans and pets, leaving clusters of red bumps that will drive you crazy with their itch. If you have an allergic reaction, you could be left with raised welts and blisters that hurt a whole lot more. The other bad part about no-see-um bites is how long they last. Those red clusters of bumps take longer to completely stop itching and heal up than mosquito bites do.
Regular Screens
When it comes to the screens in your home, they are probably all the same standard fiberglass ones that were there when you bought your home or moved into your rental property. Asking for or inquiring about special screens isn't usually something a homeowner does, and, if you rent, it is certainly not something on your list of questions about the space. If you have never lived in an area with smaller bugs like gnats or no-see-ums, you may not even think there are different screens.
Mesh Size is Different
A regular screen has a looser, wider weave of the mesh, which is small enough to keep out flying insects like mosquitoes or bees while allowing for continuous airflow. There is nothing like opening your windows on that first nice spring day and feeling the slight breeze through the screen, knowing a wasp won't be able to fly in through the window.
More Cost-Effective
Regular screens are also the most cost-effective option since they are so standard. They are mass-produced at a higher rate than specialized screens, so grabbing them from your local hardware store is budget-friendly.
Easy to Install
Because this is the standard screen, it's a bit of a one-size-fits-all situation. You won't need to custom order these and can find them at almost any hardware store pretty easily.
No-See-Um Screens
To keep gnats and no-see-ums out of your home, a good place to start is to look at your screens. No-see-um screens have a tighter, finer weave in the mesh, which makes it almost impossible for these smaller flying insects to get through. While regular screens keep out the larger insects, no-see-um screens are designed to keep even the tiniest biting nuisance out.
Restricted Airflow
The smaller mesh weave does come with a downside - the airflow. The design of the tighter weave means the airflow will be constricted. You won't "feel the breeze" as easily as with regular screens, and it may take longer for fresh air to cycle through the room. But if you live in an area with a no-see-um season, it taking longer to air out a room is worth not having to deal with constant bug bites.
More Expensive
The only other downside you could see is the cost of no-see-um screens. Since these have a different weave in the mesh, they require a different manufacturing process, which means they are more expensive.
If you need no-see-um screens, count how many windows you have, and can't budget for that all at once, think about going room by room. Start with the space you either spend the most time in or where you notice the bugs getting into the home most frequently, then work your way around the rest of your home.
May Need to Custom Order
Depending on what type you want - fiberglass mesh, aluminum tiny mesh, solar insect screen or a type of super screen, you may have to special order these to have enough for your home.
Could Reduce the Use of Other Methods
These screens might be more expensive, but they may also allow you to skip over other methods of keeping bugs away, like using chemicals. You could cut down or stop using treatments, sprays or other chemical ways to deter insects, which would be healthier and safer for your family and pets.
The Best Spots for No-See-Um Screens
- Screened in porch
- Front and back doors
- Sunroom or gazebo
If you can't afford to outfit your entire home with these screens, there are prime locations to focus on. The areas you spend the most time in when it's sunny and warm, which also invites bugs to where you are, should be the main spots that have no-see-um screens.
When You Should Get No-See-Um Screens
- If you live in an area with active no-see-ums, gnats, or sandflies
- If you want extra protection against all bugs and insects
- If you live in a marshy or coastal area
- If you want extra privacy
- If you feel you need additional UV protection
- If you want a more durable and long-lasting screen
The obvious reason for getting no-see-um screens is the protection against the tinier bugs, but this type of screen offers additional benefits. If you live in a sunny area, the smaller weave will block out more of the UV rays, so you are less likely to get burnt when reading by your favorite window.
If you don't like people being able to see into your home, this style of window reduces visibility more than regular screens. If you have kids or pets, this kind of screen is more durable and harder to tear, which may save you money in the long run, depending on how active your family is.
When You Should Get a Regular Screen
- If you need a more affordable option
- If you don't live in a coastal or marshy area
- If you don't have a gnat, sandfly or no-see-um problem
- If you don't want to reduce visibility in or out of your home
- If you don't want to reduce airflow
- If you don't want reduced sunlight
The main reason you don't need to get no-see-um screens is if those bugs aren't a problem where you live, but there are other reasons you could stick with regular screens. If you love to air out your home and keep those windows open, regular screens will give your home better circulation. If you are like a cat and can't live without those sunbeams streaming into your home, keep the sunlight pouring through with standard screens.
While some people love privacy, if you don't want to block out visibility looking in or outside of your home, stick with regular screens. But it also just may not be in your budget to upgrade to no-see-um screens. If you don't have a problem with the tinier bugs, it's not something you need to fix in your home anyway.
How to Keep No-See-Ums Away
If you can't afford to get no-see-um screens or want to layer in more preventative measures, here are other ways to keep these pests away from your home and yard.
- Keep it cold inside your home.
- Invest in CO2 traps
- Keep grass short and your lawn and greenery tidy
- Dump any and all standing water
The number one reason why insects and bugs like your yard is standing water. This gives a variety of pests a place to reproduce and lay eggs. After every storm, wet weather episode or humid day, walk your yard and property for any standing water and dump it. If you have a bird bath or keep pet bowls outside, clean them regularly and bring pet bowls inside if your pet isn't out there.
Tall, messy grass and unkempt greenery give bugs plenty of places to hide. Maintaining a clean, neat and tidy yard, including trimming tree branches and bushes, will keep your yard from looking appetizing to pests.
When it comes to your home, insects do not thrive in the cold, which is why they "die off" or go to sleep in the winter. Using your air conditioner will deter bugs from wanting to make themselves welcome in your home. You could also opt for CO2 traps. Bugs love the sweet scent of your breath, so these traps lure them in to be captured.
How to Treat No-See-Um Bites
- Wash the area with soap and water
- Apply things like aloe vera or rubbing alcohol to reduce pain
- Put ice on the bites
- Use calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream for the itching
- If you think you may be allergic, take an oral antihistamine
- If the bites become inflamed and painful, take a pain medication like ibuprofen
- As much as you want to, do not scratch the bites
Even if you switch out screens, keep your yard tidy and routinely check your yard for standing water, you could still walk into a swarm of no-see-ums, midges, gnats or sandflies and get bitten. It's best to know how to treat the bites as soon as possible to minimize the effects.
For this type of bug bite and any other bug bite, washing the infected area with soap and water as soon as possible is the important first step. This will reduce swelling and itching and will sanitize the area, removing as much of the bug's bacteria as possible. Keeping bug bites clean will move the healing process along faster and could prevent things like an allergic reaction or an infection.
Things like rubbing alcohol and aloe vera will reduce swelling, take away some of the pain of the bites and reduce the itchiness. You will want to scratch your skin right off with no-see-um bites - but don't. This will not only make them itch more but could lead to a rash or worse, damage your skin or lead to an infection.
Call the Professionals
If treating no-see-um bites does not sound like a good time, you may want to look into those special screens. While you might lose a bit of sunlight and visibility, you'll gain the peace of mind of not having to worry about waking up to itchy bites or walking through a tornado of no-see-ums in your living room.
If you need pest control services for your yard or want to consult with an experienced, compassionate team that has served over 500 communities across nine countries for over 20 years, your first and only call should be to MosquitoNix. From a short-term solution to keep the gnats and sandflies away from a party or special event to a long-term system to rid your yard of no-see-ums and midges all year long, call your local MosquitoNix team for a free consultation to see what they recommend. There's no reason to itch the day away, so take the precautions you need to keep these flying pests away, including investing in no-see-um screens.
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