Introduction to Adult Life of a Crane Fly

You have darker summer nights and one of the long-legged flies is flying in and out of the front porch light on your porch. You are curious about the Adult Life of a Crane Fly. As foreboding in their size and bug-like in their appearance and similitude to a mosquito.They have a unique and harmless function to serve within the environment. In this post, courtesy of saynopest. You will learn about the fascinatin’ facts of Adult Life of a Crane Fly & how they complete their lifecycle, their misunderstood behavior. Why you shouldn’t dread their brief sojourn in your garden or house.

What is a Crane Fly?

In early sightings, a crane fly might be mistaken for a gigantic mosquito due to the long, thin body and frill-like wings. Crane fly adult life should not be likened to blood-sucking siblings, though. Crane flies are Tipulidae and found everywhere throughout the United States, adoring wet environments like lawns, marshes, and gardens.

Their legs will be approximately 1.5in in length, and their own legs will be even longer—most commonly hearing them called “daddy long legs” (never cellar spiders or harvestmen). Its flight is the myth of being terrible, and they will crawl on lit-up windows late at night.

Crane Fly Lifespan

The most surprising aspect of crane flies in their adult stage is possibly how brief it is. The lifespan of crane flies when in their adult stage is generally between 1 and 15 days, depending on the type. It is generally remarked as 1–3 days by some and two weeks by others. Whatever is the duration, these flies are quite short-lived in their adulthood.

They breed throughout their entire lifespan. The female crane fly deposit dozens of hundreds of eggs on wet grass or lawn. They emerge as larvae known as “leatherjackets” which live nearly a year in the soil, feeding on roots and debris before they are prepared to pupate and develop into adult form. Ironically enough, crane fly larval existence is often many times longer, taking a few months before metamorphosing into short-lived adulthood.

For their short adult lifespan of a crane fly, never feed and possess redundant mouthparts. Everything that is necessary for egg-laying and mating comes from stored energy in the food consumed during the larval stage. After they have finished mating and egg-laying, adults die cleansing the system again, beginning anew with the next generation.

Do Crane Flies Eat Mosquitoes

Most prevalent among these misconceptions is that  Do Crane Flies Eat Mosquitoes and because of this fact. they are famously so well recognized to be referred to as a “mosquito hawk” or “mosquito eater.” This is not the case. Various studies and pest managers still show that crane flies don’t eat mosquitoes. The adult form of crane flies does not eat any insects and passes their entire short life cycle of mating. Larvae of some crane flies will occasionally dine on other larvae of mosquitoes, but the majority of them don’t have that in their arsenal.

It is important to understand this in order to completely grasp adult crane fly existence. Anything but insectivores themselves, they are not destructive to animals, mankind, and much wildlife, serving a role in the food chain as a food source for birds, bats, and other insectivores.

How to Defend Yourself against Their Bite

One of the most common adult crane fly life cycle myths is that they bite. Crane flies neither sting nor bite. They do not have mandibles or a stinger. However, if you actually do manage to get a crane fly in your home or on your patio. There is no damage done it just does not eat at this time and is only concerned with reproduction.

But if you do not wish to have them in, some good solutions for keeping crane flies out of your home are:

Install or repair window and door screens, which are well-sturdy and tightly attached.

Avoid having outdoor light inside the house unnecessarily, because they will introduce adult crane flies.

If accidentally you do have one inside, just cup it and release it outdoors. They are not good fliers, so it is easy for you to do that.

If lawn damage is your concern, note that only the larvae stage—leatherjackets—have a possibility of inflicting any harm to your lawn or grass. Having a healthy lawn under the guise of improved drainage, avoiding overwatering, and frequent mowing can quite nicely prevent larval infestation into your lawn.

Conclusion

Their life is short, contemptuous, but worthy phase of the insect’s life cycle. While their group appearance might be startling, remember that they are harmless: crane flies don’t bite & don’t feed on mosquitoes, and adult lifespan is only a matter of a few days. For precise information and advice on pests, trust saynopest to guide your household and protect your home.

Watching the life cycle & the behavior of the crane fly will enable you to coincide in peace with it. The next time you see a crane fly, note what it is doing & remember that you don’t have anything to fear from this long, thin visitor.