BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- The little black bugs buzzing around central Alabama aren't as nasty as their name suggests: Fungus gnats.

First believed to be lovebugs, the dark-winged pests have been invading homes and businesses in the Birmingham area for days. They can get through the smallest cracks in doors and windows.

But an expert said the bugs won't hurt anything — they're just a nuisance.

"They live in the ground and eat roots, but don't cause any damage," said Xing Ping Hu, an extension entomology specialist and assistant professor at Auburn University. "They feed on molds and fungus." [...]

Hu said the pesky fungus gnat, from the Sciaridae family, thrives in humid weather. Most should die within the next few days, she said.

"These bugs are not only a problem in central Alabama; they're a problem in Georgia and Florida as well," she said. "They are not uncommon, but the population has never reached so high."

She blames the consistent rainfall over the last few months for the swarms of fungus gnats in the Birmingham area.

When exterminators began encountering the bugs a couple of weeks ago, their immediate thought was that the pests were lovebugs, so named because of their habit of mating in midair. [...]