Bug inside LCD Screen

July 14th, 2007

Argh, help! I’ve got a living bug crawling around inside my LCD computer monitor! It’s actually walking around which is quite annoying. I’ve no idea how it got in there but it’s small enough to have fit through the small holes at the back of the monitor.

On the bright side, there only seems to be one so they won’t be making babies in there any time soon. Has anyone ever had bugs inside their monitors and how did they get rid of them? The advice I’ve had so far is to wait for them to die and hope that they die off screen or somewhere where it won’t affect the picture too much.

Update (July 2010): Incredibly, this article has had 10,000 hits since it’s been published (most of them being in July each year which seems to be peak season). Please read the comments below for tips and discussion. In my case, I found that the bug disappeared after a few days providing that you don’t squish it or anything. You don’t need to do anything elaborate like taking your screen apart (and would not be advised to). Please do drop a comment below and let us know what’s working for you.  – Ken

About the Author: Hi! I'm Ken. I've been using mobiles for over 10 years and technology for a lot longer! I'd love to hear from you.

Like this tip? Get the most from your mobile phone...

  • Discover brand new ways to use your mobile phone
  • Techniques to get more out of your mobile phone for less
  • Be the first to learn about new mobile technology

Enter your email to receive free regular Ken's Tech Tips:

  • Blog
  • Comments(97)

97 Responses to “Bug inside LCD Screen”

  1. # Ollie Bradleyon 15 Jul 2007 at 9:53 am

    Yeah, I’ve had a few whilst I had my PC set up near to our back door in the summer. I made the terrible mistake of squishing them on a few occasions which made them stick to the monitor. I tried to take apart the monitor to get it out, but no luck. So since I’ve relocated my PC and got a different monitor… next time I have a bug, I’ll just remember to leave it and hope it goes away!

    They’re obviously attracted to the light / warmth or something.

  2. # Adam Dempseyon 15 Jul 2007 at 6:49 pm

    I had one in a laptop at work, I thought it was on the top of the screen so i squashed it, then i realised it was inside the screen.  So I know have a permanent black mark in the screen!

  3. # Khloon 15 Jul 2007 at 1:02 pm

    Thanks Ollie – I haven’t squished it. I’m hoping it’ll fall off. I turned it on the next morning and it’s still there, alive and kicking. I’ve looked around some of the photo frames in this room and it seems like they all have a couple of thunderfly insects inside them.

  4. # Nicolas Morelon 16 Jul 2007 at 2:57 pm

    Hello Khlo,

    I am product manager at Lycos Webhosting.

    I would like to contact you by email about your script reflection.js.

    Don’t be shy, we have a little project that might interest you :-)

    Looking forward reading soon from you,

    Best regards,

    Nicolas Morel

  5. # Simon Loftuson 12 Aug 2007 at 10:59 pm

    Hi, im watching a thunderfly in my monitor this very second hahaha.  I also went to rub the mark off, though DOH my lil cousins knocked my monitor and made a mark, then i opened up the screen on msn to tell my gf, to find it crawling over the grass on my background(well not like it knew it was grass, then it was all over her chat box.

     Right now im trying to tap above it to make it walk off itself, but not having much luck, it is running in circles around the status bar.

     

    HAHAHA insane little thing, how did it get its way all the way in there. 

  6. # Cowon 07 Apr 2008 at 12:33 pm

    I’ve had a lot of hits on this page recently so I wanted to update everyone for the benefit of people who are finding this entry in Google. Don’t squish the bug or do anything or you’ll get it stuck. Put up with it. It should just magically disappear within two or three days. I continued using my monitor when there was a bug inside it and there were no problems.

  7. # Bethon 15 Jun 2008 at 4:17 am

    yeah…I tried to squish mine and figured i’d suffer the mark….apparently mine refuses to be squished and its driving me insane. I’m tempted to keep trying but i’m hoping it’ll go away. For now I named it buggy b/c it’s driving me buggy and my best friend suggested the name after I said I was thinking of naming it…

  8. # Nathanon 28 Jun 2008 at 10:13 pm

    I realize this is an old blog, but since it is the first result that comes up when you google “bug inside screen” I thought I’d post my experience and the solution I thought of.

    Obviously I was having the same problem, at first I just waited and waited for the bug to go out of the screen, like cross the border where he would leave the actual screen and then I would try to press the side of the screen to squash it while it’s not anywhere important, but the damn bug kept turning round when he came close to the edge.

    So I after reading about a poster on this blog saying “the bug is prolly attracted to the light/heat” I thought of the following;

    Turn off your screen, take a lamp that you can hang over your screen (preferrably one that’s quite bright), turn it on and hang it like 2 cm’s above your screen.. my theory was that the bug would see bright light coming from the top of the screen and/or feel that the top was warmer..

    And it worked! After about an hour I turned on my laptop.. and voila.. no more bug.. :)

  9. # Alex.on 13 Jul 2008 at 6:25 pm

    I just squished the bug in mine! … is there anyway at all that i can get it out..?

    If not. Do you think it will rot away?
    If it will rot how long?

    ?!

  10. # ihasabugon 16 Jul 2008 at 3:16 pm

    Nggghhhhhhhhhhhh this is so annoying

    a pet storm fly is not what I wanted

  11. # mikeeon 23 Jul 2008 at 4:44 pm

    i never seen this untill i squished mine and then i realised it would stay there so i searched bug inside screen XD

  12. # Japeon 23 Jul 2008 at 5:23 pm

    i have like 6 dead bugs inside my screen.

    i hate insects.

  13. # Yasser Abbasion 24 Jul 2008 at 1:58 pm

    I have about 20 crawling around on my screen……any way to get rid of these things??

  14. # P2P Intelligence and Monetising Media | Cow's Blogon 25 Jul 2008 at 9:12 pm

    [...] of writing this blog is seeing how old posts are viewed. For example, last year I wrote about bugs inside my LCD screen. Since then, the post has been getting a couple of hits every day as people find it through Google [...]

  15. # Rasmus Christiansenon 26 Jul 2008 at 8:10 pm

    Hi all.

    So, I have this problem too, you see.
    I haven’t tried to do anything to get rid of it, other than squish it. But I can’t :p

    I’ll try the “Turn off screen, put lamp near screen, turn on lamp and wait an hour or two”.

    Seems very logic to me.

    Maybe I’ll post here if it works or not :)

    - Regards, Rasmus :)

  16. # Benon 21 Sep 2008 at 4:50 pm

    I got a little fruit fly in my laptop screen. He managed to crawl to the middle of the screen and die. Brand new computer, too. Wonder if BestBuy can “repair” this…

  17. # Emiilyon 23 Sep 2008 at 3:25 pm

    I Recently got 2 bugs in my screen it was really annoying. At first i thought they were just crawing around across the screen so squished them ! Big mistake. But luckly I had the a brilliant idea… I scratch the screen gently with my nail and the bug started to fad i scrathed some more and hay presto they somehow fadded into the screen. So Far i havent noticed any damage by me scratching the screen… Sorry if you try this and do make damage to your screen. Remember scratch gently. Emiily x

  18. # Jasonon 28 Nov 2008 at 4:00 am

    can bestbuy fix this?

  19. # Janineon 02 Dec 2008 at 4:26 pm

    I had the very same a while ago with a thunder fly. Damn thing crawled around for a while (which was quite cute) but then it DIED on my screen. So i keep thinking it’s an ” ‘ ” or a ” , ” depending on the text i’m reading! axtually the comma looks very much like it, right angle as well!

    Did consider ringing IT helpdesk to say there was a “bug” in my pc. See what they say ;) hehe

    I am considering the gentle scratching thing now though. :) ta x

  20. # laurenon 03 Dec 2008 at 4:20 pm

    i hv the same problem!! i was so freaked out when i saw it moving! its about the size of a ‘ and its so damn annoying:(

  21. # Marshallon 26 Apr 2009 at 11:58 pm

    i have one right now……… it is SOOOOOO tiny!

  22. # Haileyon 28 Apr 2009 at 3:26 am

    I have a small spider (now a bloody dot) inside my screen and there was another spider (live) in there earlier. Is there anyway to get rid of either of them or both, cause that would be awesome!

  23. # Benon 27 May 2009 at 9:44 am

    Thought I’d leave my comment here.

    I had an insect inside my new LCD screen yesterday. I decided against squishing it, and turned the monitor off. Came back on this morning, and so far there is no sign of the bug. Hopefully it left when there was no longer any light source.

    However, it did leave waste in a couple parts of the screen. I expect that to melt/disintegrate over time.

    Good luck to everyone having the problem.

  24. # mproston 15 Jun 2009 at 11:38 am

    same problem here, and the “Turn off screen, put lamp near screen, turn on lamp and wait an hour or two” advice did the trick here (plus huge amounts of insecticide in the whole room as soon as the bug got out of the screen)

    I think that turning off the screen ASAP is the key here, otherwise the bug is happy in an environment full of light and heat. Thanks Nathan for sharing your experience!

  25. # Charlotteon 29 Jun 2009 at 8:54 am

    hi guys,
    just thought i’d let you know that if you have squashed one of these bugs onto your screen, it doesn’t go away. on my old monitor, i made the same mistake and it was there for years. DO NO take the risk, it’s sooo annoying.
    secondly, the bug is not inside your monitor, it is simply behind the glass. you can remove this with some suction pads that stick to your screen and remove the safety glass. you can then easily take away the bug. this can be done simply, but would definately be considered the last option.
    another way to do this is just to be patient and wait it out. these ‘thunderbugs’ as they are known, do not live forever. try to not use your computer for a few days, and the lack of heat and light radiated from the screen will kill/make the bug go away. cold and dark are definately 2 things it doesn’t like. you just have to hope it doesn’t die slap bang in the middle, else the suction pads are definately the option for you.
    i recommend the suction pads also to people who have squashed them and want to remove debris. if you don’t want to do this yourself, send your monitor away to be cleaned and explain your problem to the IT staff. it sounds ridiculous, but they’ve seen it so many times before it’s almost routine.
    before you do anything, just wait a few days. then if it doesn’t work, i’ve given a few other methods.
    hope this helps.
    regards.

    ps: i’m watching a thunderbug right now under the glass on my screen, and am playing the waiting game. it truly is so frustrating when they get in the way of your typing and you make mistakes! ARGH!

  26. # Kyne McCulloughon 30 Jun 2009 at 12:53 am

    If I weren’t a buddhist this would really irritate me, I have a thunderfly in my screen now too! This is the downside to british weather being good for a change. I kinda accidently squished it so do you think this sort of thing would be covered under my computer’s warrenty?
    Cheers.

    P.s. Please nobody else squish them, I’d hate for anyone else to have to deal with this.

  27. # Ben Homanson 01 Jul 2009 at 1:22 pm

    Thought i would squish one, thinking it wasn’t real and now it is dead, just lyeing there!!! :(

  28. # zoeon 01 Jul 2009 at 1:35 pm

    i’ve accidently squashes one on my mums laptop, shes only had it two weeks too :( its a lcd screen, if she took it back to the shop could they remove it? please help.. shes gonna be really mad at me :(

  29. # brynon 01 Jul 2009 at 8:00 pm

    I got one today, but i didnt squash it…instead it crawled to the center and died.
    My laptops only a month old, its really annoying.
    My mum told me to send the laptop back haha, do you think itll work? ;)

  30. # Marie-louiseon 01 Jul 2009 at 8:11 pm

    Eurghhh! stupid stupid thing. i saw it flutter its wings so it must have a decent amount of living space.
    its walking against the ‘wood’ pannelling on the background on here.
    do you think it is this fabulous british weather we’re having that has caused this.

    God it is so annoying.
    i’m gonna try the light trick, but my screen isn’t likely to get much colder due to the weather.

    i’ll be soo annoyed if it stays in the middle of my screen :|

    leave a comment if you get much luck.

    i’ll let you know if my method works.

    x

  31. # libbyribson 02 Jul 2009 at 9:39 pm

    hay zoe,

    i called the company where i baught mine,
    they say that you have to buy a new monitor -.- i can’t believe this !!!:O

    AAAARGH

    if i had spend a little bit more on the warenty, there would be no problem
    but no i will be stucked with a dead little flie pet thingy in the middle of my screen

    poor bug its just lyieng there … waiting to rot away
    ( that sounds nasty xD )

    GOODLUCK EVERYBODY WITH THOSE STUPID LITTLE BUGS -.-

    btw,those bugs eats plastic, thats what they told me :S

  32. # Lozzyon 03 Jul 2009 at 8:56 pm

    I started out with one thunderbug about 3 days ago crawling around I have now got 5 crawling under the screen. They have appeared without the monitor being on so I cant see where light heat etc will attract them out. Guys at computer store said put a vacuum over any vents but I have no vents on the screen. HELP!!!!

  33. # Joon 05 Jul 2009 at 6:56 pm

    Please help same thing bug on screen found this blog through google. My screen isn’t yet one year old and i bought it from amazon.

    If anyone is reading this can they tell me will i get a full refund for the screen from amazon as the screen is withing warantee and bought directly from Amazon

    Please help i don’t really know wot else to do coz the bugs have died inside my screen!!!

    Thank You :D

  34. # harvie pon 13 Jul 2009 at 4:30 pm

    hi. i got same problem. just a few mins ago it was crawling around when my temper gt the better of mee. only had the laptop since 21st june 09. its now dead in the middle of the screen. im thinking of phonin acer. do u reakon they will cover this? its still under warranty.

    cheers

    harvie

  35. # Jackon 13 Jul 2009 at 9:06 pm

    rofl, I cant belive my luck!!

    I replaced my 19″ HD monitor with a 24″ monitor the other day, and already two bugs are under it, i havent even taken the plastic cover of the screen..

    £200 down the drain, ill have to but another now. for fucks sake i hate summer.

  36. # Web Systemson 20 Jul 2009 at 12:29 pm

    Hello guys

    I have had the same problem and I googled this blog. After some reading I decided to clean my LCD monitor myself.

    What you need is:
    1) screwdriver
    2) air duster (compressed air)

    Estimated time 15-60min (depending on your technical skills)

    You have to disassemble the cover of your LCD (be carefull to not to brake it), then you will find some screws under it. I think every LCD looks different inside so I can’t give you detailed manual, but you have to get under the LCD glass (there is a white background under it (I didn’t touche it so I do not know what is it made of, but it is not important).You have to use air duster and clean all the insects from the glass and white background. Then just assemble everything as it was at the beginning.

    Voila, no more bugs :)

  37. # Michaelon 21 Jul 2009 at 1:48 pm

    I too got a bug in my LCD screen (on a laptop). I didn’t squish him but he stopped moving, so he is either taking a rest or died. I sent an e-mail to Dell tech support, so I’ll see what they recommend.

  38. # Michaelon 21 Jul 2009 at 5:05 pm

    From Dell: “I apologize for the inconvenience. Bugs can appear on the LCD panel in the gap between the LCD and the backlight. These insects are a common problem with modern LCD panels, monitors, and TVs, where they are attracted by the light. The ability of these insects to enter the LCD panel does not represent a panel manufacturing defect. This issue is not covered under the warranty of your system.”

    Not a manufacturing defect??? Obviously! It’s a design defect!!!

    I guess what they say is true. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.

  39. # foxtroton 22 Jul 2009 at 9:48 am

    i have one inside my tamagotchi
    right now i’m treating it as a special bonus virtual pet, but pretty soon the novelty will wear off

    i find that gentle/violent tapping in the centre of the screen can coax it off the edge so that it’s less of a nuisance

    we also had a few in our computer monitor, but we just left them for a few days and they disappeared. i suppose we got lucky? :P

  40. # raidon 23 Jul 2009 at 7:31 pm

    Totally feel for you Jack. Was so chuffed to replace my dead bug filled 19″ with a 24″, but within a couple of months created a new cemetry. Definitely best advice is to switch off and leave a light on nearby as soon as you spot one.

  41. # Paul Evanson 26 Jul 2009 at 9:40 am

    Thank you for keeping comments on this blog entry open. Hopefully some of the advice here will be useful to me. I took my old laptop out of the bag this morning to see a bug crawling around in there. I’ve turned it off, covered it up apart from a corner and put a lamp nearby to see if that tempts it out.

    I don’t really want to do surgery on the screen, if it dies in there I guess I will try that. Annoying though, I use that laptop daily and can’t justify a replacement right now… even if it were to die in a stupid place.

  42. # Yeson 26 Jul 2009 at 5:44 pm

    Just squished my bug as i thought it was a software bug (or virus).
    It’s dead in the middle of my screen.
    I’ll buy me a new one tomorrow, since this one is almost 5 years old, it’s definitely time to debug it ;-)

  43. # Kaiteon 29 Jul 2009 at 12:13 am

    Yeah, I have a Dell Inspiron 1525 and have a dead thunderfly in the middle of the goddam screen. I emailed Dell, they say its gonna be £220 to replace the screen. I am utterly RAGING! I cant believe it to be honest. But yeah, I guess I will end up paying for that cos i cant put up with it.

  44. # Tokeon 04 Aug 2009 at 2:54 pm

    I’ve had my Samsung 22″ for almost 2 years, but recently i got this bug. I suspect it happened, because of an old 19″ that used to be my grandpa and grandma’s. It had about 10 of these bugs, but yet i used it as my second monitor (i like having 2 monitors). 2 days after i got it, i spotted one in my 22″. I immedietly put a lamp to one of the corners of the screen, and got rid of the 19″.

    I seriously recommend getting rid of monitors with these bugs, or atleast not getting them close to any pictures with frames, or other monitors. I believe my 22″ got “infected” because of the 19″, that already had these bugs.

  45. # joeon 06 Aug 2009 at 5:56 pm

    I also have the same problem, i have a HP w2007v 20″ LCD screen. i have never had this problem before and i have had the screen for about 2 years in the same spot. iv just contacted hp, because i have a (HP w2007v) and they should be contacting me within 1 working day, so ill try and let yu all know how to clean it (if you have a hp w2007v).

  46. # joeon 10 Aug 2009 at 6:44 pm

    they have just e-mailed me back now, and just said take the monitor to a computer reapir shop or the place where you bought it and they will fix it, but for a small fee, it may also take a fiew days for the shop to clean it.

  47. # Paton 16 Aug 2009 at 4:47 pm

    I know this is an old thread but I just had the same issue and I fixed it. First, I didn’t smash the bug. I went and got a suction cup off of a shower rack and stuck it to my LCD screen right over the bug. I gently pulled on the suction cup. It flexed the glass just enough that the bug fell straight down and out of sight. This was really frustrating since I just got this TV four days ago. Well anyway, I hope that I can help someone out with this tip. Good luck!!

  48. # Robon 24 Aug 2009 at 9:58 pm

    OK, two days ago I noticed a little black spot on my 42″ LG LCD TV. Of course I freaked, but then noticed it was some type of spider or gnat that made its way between the screen cover of the actual TV. Thanks to Pat(above post), I was able to get rid of it. Wait till it dies!(VERY IMPORTANT, or it will leave a permanent mark!) I used a small 2″ diameter suction cup, gently placed it over the area of bug, then gently pulled on it. At first it just kind of shook a little, but then when I removed the suction cup with my finger nail, the bug fell clearly out of site! No more bug! I can’t stress enough on how gentle you need to be with your screen! Do not put too much pressure on the screen, you can possibly leave a permanent discoloration on that area! Everyone, please try this option, it just might work! Thanks to this forum and Pat for the idea!

  49. # Janaon 26 Aug 2009 at 9:20 pm

    Heh, I have an ANT inside my Dell Vostro 1700 LCD screen. Luckily,it has died only like 100 pixels from the left side. The Dell repair guys tried to remove it, but failed… they have just cut it in two parts…. but its still in… meh :)

  50. # Mettyon 30 Aug 2009 at 2:16 am

    I’ve grown quite attached to the dead bug in my screen. Is this normal?

  51. # Ianon 04 Oct 2009 at 4:24 am

    I had the same problem. 2 weeks ago, a tiny spider somehow crawled into my 22inch Samsung LCD Monitor. I left it alone for 2 days but apparently it died and I was left with a perfectly good, very expensive monitor with a glaring black blob in the middle of the screen. I tried to dislodge the dead bug by gently tapping the screen, to no avail. I even tried the suction cup suggestion — no luck there either.

    I did not have the time or inclination to do an RMA request to Samsung (plus I could not find my receipt). I finally decided to open up my LCD monitor. I disassembled the sealed LCD unit and I found the dead bug lodged between the Polarizing filter and the LCD pad module. I used a cotton swab with 90% IPA to gently clean off the bug from the Polarizing filter and some bug residue on the LCD pad. I gave it sufficient time to dry and I reassembled the whole monitor, connected it to my PC and crossed my fingers… viola, good as new!

    Disclaimer: Never disassemble an LCD product under any circumstances. If unqualified operators or users assemble the product after disassembling it, it may not function or its
    operation may be seriously affected.

  52. # Terrion 25 Oct 2009 at 8:16 am

    Ok I too thought it was on the outside of my screen and now it is dead in the right top corner, fortunately not the middle. There is another one running around. I will try the light thing when I am done for the night.

    The worst part is I was eating fresh raspberries out of our garden that were rinsed. I didn’t finish all of them and set them on the table next to me. After seeing the bugs, I looked in the dish and sure enough they were in there. The bad part is I am not sure how many I ate!!! Yukkkkkk!

  53. # debi kon 07 Feb 2010 at 7:38 pm

    Thanks so much. Holding the lamp worked. I was so scared. We just got this 52 inch projection tv and a bug was flying inside it. I really am greatful for you tips. Of all day, Super Bowl Sunday and our first big screen tv You fixed our tv and our party. Thanks.

  54. # Sayak Son 03 Mar 2010 at 6:00 pm

    Just open ur LCD panel and take it off!!

  55. # Lindseyon 13 Jun 2010 at 8:29 am

    Sarcastic… this was funny.

  56. # Anguson 28 Jun 2010 at 4:52 pm

    I've currently got 7 of them in my LCD. I've had them every summer for the last few years but have always got rid of them by leaving a portable TV on next to the monitor overnight and they've always gone. I've had my first one die today (I have 1 dead, 7 live currently). Going to have to open up the LCD :( Thanks all previous commentors.

  57. # Aj200on 01 Jul 2010 at 9:03 am

    Ok, yesterday i found a bug crawing in my monitor. i didnt know what it was till i squashed it.. now i have a black dot stuck in the middle!

    It is a Samsung SyncMaster 226BW – I want to open it to clean out the insect now.

    I have removed the back panel+front rim from the screen, but the LCD is clipped shit with an inner metal rim..

    Please, does anyone have a Samsung syncmaster and knows how to access the inside of the screen – I would be VERY greatful.

    - Adam

  58. # Lukeon 02 Jul 2010 at 8:14 pm

    Adam,

    I think it’s the same as my Dell studio 15. Look there should be two screws on the left and two on the right edge of the screen. If you remove them you can use a screwdriver or knife to prize the layers away from the screen.

    Luke

  59. # Jameson 02 Jul 2010 at 11:05 pm

    Thank god for this blog. Thought my little thunder bug was some ingenious virus that was designed to look like and act like a thunder bug. I sware it was following my mouse pointer. I was waiting for it to reach the delete all button, press it and with a crack of thunder all my files get deleted. But thankfully, this blog has put me right. I never even thought that a real thunder bug would be able to find away into the screen.
    Now, how to get the dam thing out!

  60. # aliciaon 03 Jul 2010 at 11:23 pm

    my mum thought it was a computer virus until she squashed it !!

  61. # clb92on 04 Jul 2010 at 12:26 am

    I know this is an old thread too, but I just squashed sitting near the center of my screen. Normally, that would be bad news, but the bug was outside my screen, so now I can say for sure, that it's not going inside my lovely 26" Iiyama screen :)

    I'm going to cover my screen with something for the night… I'm not taking any chances here!
    Some days ago, I accidentally squashed on inside my old laptop. The laptop is 4-5 years old, so my warranty won't cover anything…

    PS. Another one just landed on my screen! Please, thunderbugs, stop it! At least, they're not inside… yet!

  62. # aliciaon 04 Jul 2010 at 10:36 am

    is their any way to get them out.

  63. # Noneon 05 Jul 2010 at 6:06 pm

    How about reading the comments :) ?

  64. # Ericon 09 Jul 2010 at 12:24 am

    I've got 5 death thunderbugs in the middle of my lcd laptop…probably i'll have to open it, how long does it take for them to desitegrate?

  65. # Baz Cookeon 09 Jul 2010 at 8:36 am

    If you get a Thunderbug – proper name "Thrip" in your monitor screen you will find that they crawl around for a while and then eventually die. Normally this happens in the most visible spot on the screen. They never fade away so they just stay there cocooned forever! The only way to remove them is to take apart the monitor front and blow them out with an air blaster. ( Not an easy task always )
    These bugs live in wheat or grain crops and wait for warm weather to fly out in their droves – and I do mean droves, billions… So if you live next to fields of grain – look out, because from mid-June until August when the crops are harvested you will be deluged every warm, sunny day with these little blighters.
    Modern farming entails spraying the crops on numerous occasions during the growing period. So why farmers can't use an insecticide while they are spraying to rid us of these bugs – I don't know. Perhaps it's not cost efficient. Whatever, the farming community could do everybody a massive favour and eradicate the Thunderbugs/Thrips to free us of this problem. But, will they? I doubt it, so I'm sorry you'll just have to put up with this scourge every year!

  66. # Janitzaon 12 Jul 2010 at 3:06 am

    UGH. I got one of these today. I had a new program running and I saw this little dot going around in circles so I thought it was some kinda animation in the background.

    I then saw it move to other parts of the screen and I followed it around with my finger then I decided to squish it, thinking it was on top of the screen. UGH. Now I have two little red dots on my screen and though they are small It’s driving me nuts. This is a new screen! :-

  67. # nhon 12 Jul 2010 at 11:29 pm

    Really annoying, I wish monitor manufacturers would start sealing their screens properly.

  68. # ifdon 18 Jul 2010 at 4:25 pm

    I squished what looked like a "red brick" bug inside my monitor- thought it was on the outside. Now I have a red splotch about as big as an "o" on my screen. Pretty pissed.

  69. # ifdon 18 Jul 2010 at 4:26 pm

    and oh by the way, it's a dell inspiron so that seems to be a theme. Definitely no more Dells for me. This laptop has been a nightmare as well as dealing with Dell's customer support.

  70. # OLLLLLLLLLIEon 18 Jul 2010 at 10:38 pm

    LMAO were in our own club almost =]

  71. # Adamon 19 Jul 2010 at 8:08 pm

    Just got one in my Packard Bell screen, not cool. I squished it as well, gutted. Only had this laptop a couple of months.

  72. # Hoochon 20 Jul 2010 at 9:46 am

    Gah… As we speak there is a thunderfly crawling over this blog. As a CAD draughtsman this is a major annoyance, you wouldn't believe the amount of times I have tried to delete/erase the dead one. Now I have to pray this new one doesn't die in the centre. I have tried disassembling the housing but the screen itself seems sealed (obviously not sealed enough!!). As I speak it has stopped moving in the bottom right of the screen. : (

  73. # Erikon 20 Jul 2010 at 11:13 am

    I've just got one of these "thunder-bugs!" in my screen and it's REALLY annoying that the stupid little thing sits there dead with no use at all! Of course I did try to flick the screen, but that never worked, so better not try that one again.

    Unfortunately turning the laptop off and putting a light next to it never worked because it would have to be alive for that!

    Looks like the only options open are to either crack the monitor open, throw the laptop out of the window and buy another one or just declare war on these bugs so they never have a chance to infect my screen again, but I think I'll go with DIY bug removal.

    I'm glad that I'm sort of patient haha.

  74. # Erikon 20 Jul 2010 at 11:17 am

    I've just got one of these "thunder-bugs!" in my screen and it's REALLY annoying that the stupid little thing sits there dead with no use at all! Of course I did try to flick the screen, but that never worked, so better not try that one again.

  75. # Drewon 20 Jul 2010 at 1:31 pm

    Grrrr my £3K CAD laptop has been invaded by them little pest;(

  76. # Edwardon 21 Jul 2010 at 11:28 am

    These bugs suck! They're in my monitor, my dads monitor, my LCD TV and in every picture in the house!!!

  77. # vrsmanneron 21 Jul 2010 at 1:56 pm

    Just used the suction cup method detailed above and it worked on my screen a treat. Had a dead thunderfly in the centre of the screen (23″ Samsung). Thanks all for the help :-)

  78. # maybugon 22 Jul 2010 at 1:22 pm

    i had one underneath my laptop screen (Acer). Thought it had died, so prodded it a bit and it started moving about again. Luckily it wandered off :)

  79. # Fubar1977on 22 Jul 2010 at 6:18 pm

    Just joined the "bug club" today and yes, I squashed the little b*****d before i realised he was inside it.
    2 month old laptop.
    Fuming.
    Going to ring round tomorrow for a price to clean it out, don`t fancy the DIY and it isn`t a warranty issue
    as no-one has yet had any luck getting a mfr to replace cos of this issue.

  80. # sgjon 23 Jul 2010 at 10:46 pm

    Well i just had one of those thunder fly bugs in my screen as well, and seems it died this evening, at least it was sitting still. So i knocked gently on the screen, and it fell down to the bottom, so now i cant see it anymore yay! So neeeever squash 'em! Just outlive 'em lol

  81. # Joeon 24 Jul 2010 at 1:29 am

    I am bloody outraged. This happened to my old Acer monitor and they wanted £40 to just LOOK at it whilst it was still under warranty. Now my new LG TV/Monitor has two of these dead bugs, and I did not squish them, but they have both died, one very near the centre and the second to the top right. I am not accepting this, its a design flaw, I want my money back or a replacement. Will be phoning Dixons tomorrow.

  82. # Onkon 25 Jul 2010 at 7:27 pm

    Dell Inspiron 1525….i have now joined the 'bug club' also thought it was on the outside moved my finger across the screen and now its just in the middle DEAD! Warranty has ran out aswel so no luck getting it fixed for free. Why are these bugs finding there way into screens they have alot of outside space they shold just stick to!!

  83. # Andrew McEwanon 26 Jul 2010 at 9:52 am

    I had two thunderbugs inside my 24" LCD monitor. This has happened before, and they usually disappear after a couple of days. However, these guys were inconvenient enough to die where they were. After reading some of the posts here, I tried simply gently tapping the screen just above where the bugs were resting in peace. They immediately dropped from the display area, and currently reside somewhere in the bottom casing where I assume they can do no damage.

  84. # hoochon 26 Jul 2010 at 10:21 am

    Tried tapping the monitor………………. This didn't work. So I commenced whacking the monitor with my fist! …………… This also didn't work. I will try and find a suction cup.

  85. # Paul Haineson 27 Jul 2010 at 11:18 pm

    Had the problem twice with Dell Ultrasharp 1908FP (I live in the heart of East Anglia where fields of barley and wheat are only a short distance away so these bastards really do swarm in late July/ early August). First thing to do is switch the monitor off as soon as you see one. Whatever you do don't try to kill the thing or it will stay in there forever. Then place a hot, bright light close to the monitor and leave it on for a day or two. I used a photo lamp with a transparent white cloth over the front so it resembled a softbox. If you have a fan, point it at the monitor and leave it on while you wait. Thunderflies are attracted to heat and light, so the little so-and-so should be attracted out of the monitor, which is now relatively cool and dark.. Not much use if you need to work on the computer, but mine came out. Once the harvest is in they disappear.

  86. # Tom, the xbox sadoon 29 Jul 2010 at 10:13 pm

    i have four in the center of my new 22" lcd hdtv, it is very anoying when im on xbox. and because they are in a group its offputting when im aiming or something.
    it sounds stupid, but somehow the little buggers (gotcha there!) stand out like a saw thumb + my brother has the same problem, but his have been in there since day 1, 4 years ago. maybe the gama melarcy stuff nucularly disindergrates the midge! i dont know but any way its anoying.

    not as anoying as B.T broadband's super duper broadband service!

  87. # wizon 30 Jul 2010 at 10:39 pm

    FLICK THE SCREEN PEOPLE!
    Just did that and the one that has been dead behind my screen for the last two weeks just dropped away. Nice.

  88. # Edwardon 31 Jul 2010 at 4:11 pm

    Same Problem Here. I have a Alienware m15x. under warranty. 6 months old. Dunno how to open the screen? Dunno idf the warranty will provide me of the repair.

  89. # Mactireon 01 Aug 2010 at 1:30 am

    I thought I found something unique when I discovered a little bug in my screen. I googled it and found out I wasn't.
    I've got a 24" Samsung LCD monitor and of all the room it had to die it had to die right in the center of the screen!
    This really spoils the joy of working on this screen.

    I think I scared it tapping the screen, not it barely moves.

  90. # jenon 03 Aug 2010 at 10:07 pm

    i got my sparkly new lap top 3 weeks ago then the tiny bug appeared. As previously mentioned it seemed to like living in the middle of the screen. I did not want to squish it and hope it would just go away when i turned my laptop off… but no, when i went to use it the next time it had died right in the middle. Not impressed. Any suggestions for bug removal?

  91. # Courtson 04 Aug 2010 at 5:22 pm

    Help! They have infiltrated our office!! They are working their way across the desks!

  92. # Kyleon 16 Aug 2010 at 3:16 am

    Wow, I just seen like three different spiders crawling through mine! I thought it was on the outside, but apparently after smashing my screen (dumb move btw) it was still creepin along. I was like, wtf, Am I crazy? No, Im not..lol so i guess the only thing to do is just let the scary looking critters move along.

  93. # Mortonon 17 Aug 2010 at 4:42 am

    I have exactly the same problem, and not only with my laptop but my dsi as well! I would love to know what the insect is called so i could look up on them.

  94. # Kens Tech Tipson 17 Aug 2010 at 12:03 pm

    I believe they are called thunderbugs/thrips.

    Ken

  95. # Shaneon 23 Aug 2010 at 5:39 pm

    Hey the bug in my TV has lasted 7 days I'm getting really worried its not gonna die soon. I think its an ant as i cant see any wings and.

    I need to get this sorted ASAP.

  96. # Markon 23 Aug 2010 at 8:14 pm

    Seriously, I love you!

    A year or so I’ve had one of these f*ckers trapped behind my screen. Gave the back of the monitor a little whack and it fell down!!

  97. # JJ (and Noixez)on 28 Aug 2010 at 1:58 pm

    Wow, seriously… I had fun reading these, you guys crack me up. But seeing as there was little suggestions on fixing this problems, when Thunder (sorry, its the pet name!) sadly passed away last week after a months fun. I finally got the courage to pull apart my screen with a mate, and he was moved to a better place… with a tooth pick! Check out the pics, was so hilarious we posted them. And you find out some amazing things too, like how many parts there are to and LCD screen! ROFL
    Cheers! Good luck!

    (Check pics and enjoy! http://yfrog.com/1gimg0366djx )

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Leave a Reply