You Ask, We Investigate

Bizarre Bugs or Something Else?

By Stephanie Sobic

CREATED Aug. 31, 2011

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  • An act of God or something else? That's what one Winneconne neighborhood is trying to find out. Splashed across garages, boats and cars are thousands of tiny black specs causing damage to people's property. Did these specs fall from the sky? It's Video by nbc26.com

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An act of God or something else? That's what one Winneconne neighborhood is trying to find out. 
Splashed across garages, boats and cars are thousands of tiny black specs causing damage to people's property.
Did these specs fall from the sky?  
It's the million dollar question in Winneconne neighborhood. Neighbor, John Rohm noticed these small, waxy-like bits on his boat. "Did damage to my boat, boat cover, my pier anything it stuck too it seems to leave burn marks,” explains Rohm.  
Neighbors now have to pay for the damage these unknown spots caused.  The Winnebago County Sheriff's Department looked into the specs and spoke with one neighbor who said she has seen this before.
"This neighbor has lived there for 35 years and she referred to the specs as being a river fly that very so often come ashore," says Sgt. Jeff Gruss.
Even though some say its insects, other neighbors remain skeptic. "There’s no way it could have been an insect. No, it was something hot, small specs of a hot substance, tar something like that," explains neighbor, Darcy Wisnefske.
The state's expert on insects, Phil Pellitteri, looked at photos of these bizarre black dots and says "the specs look similar to insect waste called merconium. Insects void waste when they emerge as adults and this typically happens at night near streets lamps and other night lights”.
But, Pellitteri says he can't be sure without testing a sample.
Insect waste or something falling from the sky...neighbors hoping this strange scene doesn't show up on their property again.