What kind of insect is this?

Question

We have these tiny jumping bugs all around the outside of our house. They appear to be much more plentiful during the cold months and especially when it is rainy. They appear to be:
- wingless
- about 1/16 inch long
- have six legs total
- have two long antennae
- brownish/black in color
- have two segments... big bulbous body + tiny head
- hop, especially when you walk by

Answer 1

Sounds like you have collembola ! Also known as snow fleas or springtails. They come in a number of shapes as can be seen on this page http://www.stevehopkin.co.uk/collembolagallery/
Here's a close up of one which matches your description http://www.stevehopkin.co.uk/collembolagallery/Allacma/ALfus_SMI_7.15.jpg
They live cool moist habitats and can be found pretty much everywhere. Sometimes there are so many in one place it looks like a carpet of them, and it's even more obvious when they come out onto snow. These little guys feed primarily on decaying material , algae , fungi, etc.

Answer 2

These tiny jumping bugs are the "nymphal" stage of the insect.. "leaf hopper", family: cicadellidae. These insects overwinter in the Midwest and northern US. There are over 20,000 species of this insect worldwide, and they go through several "molts" before the adult stage is reached. The nymph stage, which you have in your yard does not fly, and only hops around when disturbed. These insects cause millions of dollars in crop damage a year in the US. They are responsible for a disease called.. "Aster Yellows", spread to plants when they suck the plants juices while feeding. They inhabit grassy areas when overwintering. They are probably hopping around more when it is rainy because the turf area is getting saturated with water, thus causing them to vacate the area.. Hope this answers your question.

Answer 3

Does it hop or "pop"? I see these little bugs that look like your description, but it seems that they snap their body and pop off the ground. Especially if you poke at them...

BRV< I live in south Georgia, what are they doing here?

Answer 4

they're called Mexican jumping beans