When there's a warm day with snow on the ground we get what I've heard called thrips. They jump around and tend to congregate in the lower spots like footprints. They are probably around other times of the year, but they are really visible against the snow. I'd say that they are less than 1/8 inch long and are skinny/pointy and black. Maybe that's what you have. As far as I know they don't do any damage.

I have no idea what these guys were, but for the life of me, I can't imagine why you thought they should be killed. Some bugs damage plants, some don't. Some actually help your garden - including predators - or provide food for birds, and some just go about their business and have no impact at all.

This is the problem with organic insecticides, IMHO.

re: digging. My instinct was to protect my children (ages 3 & 2) - we have yellow jackets, black flies, deer flies and ticks around here. Those bugs were EN MASSE around their sandbox and all around my house. When I figure out what they are (thanks for the tip, nhbabs), if they are harmless, I will likely change my approach next year.

I'm with diggingthedirt. You probably caused more harm to your children with your "organic" bug killer than the bugs themselves would have caused them.

Not meaning to pile on, Sarah, because I've done this sort of thing myself and I understand your reaction. I do want to illustrate my point, though.

A few years ago, something unidentified was defoliating a row of tall old spruce that provides all the privacy for my yard. After days of inspection, I finally spotted a large number - dozens, maybe a hundred - of small, slightly fuzzy black bugs with orange-red stripes. I thought I'd located the menace.

Something made me decide to look them up before wiping them out, and after several hours on google images I finally found out what immature lady bugs look like. My actual enemy was spruce spider mite, which can't be controlled by pesticides; the best bet for saving my trees was ... ladybugs.

Now I try really hard not to assume that unknown insects are bad; it's hard in this day of insect-borne illnesses, but some bugs are still our allies.