Bug of the Week: Crane Flies
With all the rain this winter we’ve had an emergence of large insects that look somewhat like a giant mosquitoes or what my neighbors called “long-legged wasps.” Here is what they are seeing (the thumb is for scale).
They have nothing to be concerned about. This big, fragile fly is called a crane fly.
Crane fly adults are often over an inch long with two flimsy wings that they hold straight out from their sides when at rest. Although their appearance is unusual, crane flies are truly gentle giants of the insect world. They don’t bite or sting. In fact, they do not even feed as adults. Their only interest is finding other crane flies.
The photo of the adult was from a few years ago. This afternoon my son found the larva while digging in some soil.
The larval stages of crane flies are sometimes called leatherjackets because of the leathery-looking covering over their bodies. I was able to capture the end of its abdomen as it crawled away, so you can see the tubes it breathes with when it is under water. You can see the outline best in the shadow behind it.
The larvae munch on dead leaves piled up in wet areas, part of nature’s clean up crew. With all the rain storms we’ve had lately, the crane flies have had a lot to eat and so we have a lot of them.
Interestingly, the larva emitted a brownish substance from the tip of its abdomen as it crawled away, almost like the “chewing tobacco” that grasshoppers make from their mouths if you pick them. I’ve never read anything about crane fly larvae having chemical defenses, but that’s what it looked like.
I’m afraid this larva was moving too fast for a good photo. For better views, you might want to check these truly spectacular photos of crane flies.
So that’s what those insects are! I’ve always wondered. We have them in Dallas, too.
They are so big, they tend to get people’s attention. Has it been wet in Dallas this year?
We have had these creatures living with us here in the Catalina Footbills for a few weeks. I killed one or two each evening, but always thought I was attacking Mosquitos. But we wondered why they never bit us, they were easy to find, and they did not seem to buzz like a mosquito. But tonite there were many landing on our kitchen floor and ceiling. We frantically researched this critter and realized finally that they are the crane flies. Yes they move slowly, and they are always losing their too long legs. But I relaxed upon learning about their identity tonite, we are more relaxed with their presence in our home. When will they leave? Can I find where they breed?? Thanks!
Crane fly season will be over very shortly, as things heat up and dry out. They usually breed in wet areas where there are dead leaves and other plant material lying around. Here in Arizona, they are most numerous in years when we have a lot of winter rains and thus a lot of winter weeds
By the way, crane flies are food for wildlife. Birds and lizards love them.
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