what are these black dots?

[booyhoo]

over the last 3 weeks i have found 5 clusters of black dots. they look exactly like someone has taken a black pen and just done a cluster of between 20-30 dots. so far i have found a cluster, on ds1's pillow, on ds'1s bedroom floor (lino), on the hall floor (laminate), on the leather sofa and today on the cofee table. i know it wasn't ds as he wasn't here today to do them on the coffe table. it isn't ink, they washed off the pillow, sofa and both floors and i have been able to scratch them off the coffe table. what the hell are they?

roofspace is above the dses room. we have two cats and although i am usually pretty observant wrt anything they try to sneak in i may have missed a mouse or frog. i will try and muster up the courage to go into the roofspace.

Okay, Kim & Aggie's fly trap:

In a jar put some vinegar, they suggested cider vinegar but any kind of sweet vinegar will do. This attracts them. Then add a dollop of washing up liquid, this does something to the surface tension, basically, it holds them under the liquid so they drown.

Cover jar with cling film and poke small holes in the top with a sharp pencil or similar.

You need this - it comes with three so you will have two left over in case it ever happens again)

Incidentally, don't be tempted to leave it because they get less - they will in cold weather but will be overwintering in your loft and come spring zzzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz (annoying little blighters eh?)

have a look in the loft

could well be decomposing wildlife, usually a bird, might be bat, mice, squirrel.

while you're up there, look in the cold water tank (if you have one). It should have a close-fitting dustproof lid. For plastic ones you can usually get a standard one to fit. If it has no lid it will usually have dead spiders in it, and sometimes a pigeon as well.

it ought to have an insulating jacket as well. Oddly this is mostly to keep it cool in hot sunny weather to prevent bacteria or mould growing in warm water.

I get flies when next door have a dog visiting; I'm sure there are bones left around the garden or dug up now and then...

I think it's fly poo too.

I remember reading something as my parents had a huge, sudden population explosion in the space of a few days.

Sometimes they sort of over-winter and then hatch in loft spaces, cavity walls and fire places.
I'll try and find the article now.

Sorry I can't link today but if you google "cluster flies" it will tell you that they appear in late summer/early spring etc.

I have found these too and wondered if they were fly eggs, and just have been scrubbing them with tea tree oil. Interesting to read here they are likely fly feces!

I nearly posted the same thing a couple of months ago! I came to the conclusion they were fly poo, flies seem to have fucked off for winter and the weird dotty little stains have gone with them.