Whitten Swarm: Science Fiction.

The whittens swarmed around the tent with blurs of pale wings that looked like ghosts against the inky black of the forest. Margot bent over her microscope, looking through the tube at the one whitten that had been successfully captured so far. The insects might seem to be everywhere, but they were remarkably difficult to catch. The team had so far failed to make a chemical attractant that worked on them, and no frequency of light seemed to attract them. They loved to swarm around the tents, and they'd even alighted in the hair of some of the members of the expedition, but it took only a thought of a butterfly net and all the whittens in the area would disappear. Margot was not the only one who that ought that might be considered scientific evidence on its own.

Inspiration: None. My mind was completely blank. I was having a great deal of trouble coming with anything. So--apply fingers to keyboard.
Story Potential: Medium-high. I don't know where this would go, but to me it feels different from the sort of thing I already have. Different is good.
Finished Length: Novel, probably.
Notes: NOT FANTASY. NOT FAIRIES. SCIENCE FICTION. Alien planet, etc. I think I don't actually want the whittens to be intelligent themselves. Tied into some sort of intelligence, yes, perhaps. Question: is this the results of terraforming or is it an honest-to-god study of an alien planet? This would affect the time-span, among other things.