Warmer weather means many pests are flying and joining you indoors while you shelter-in-place or outdoors while you are getting some exercise or keeping connected yet socially distant from the neighbors.
Lately you may have seen some large, leggy insects bumbling around on your walls and windows. What are these? While many people call them “mosquito eaters” or “mosquito hawks,” they are actually crane flies. And unfortunately, they do not eat mosquitoes. These insects may be a nuisance when you find them in your home, but the adults are basically harmless. Although the adults are not particular pests of importance, the larvae can be...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
- Contributor: Andrew Mason Sutherland
You may be seeing long-legged, flying insects in your house lately, bouncing around the walls, ceilings, and corners. Many people call these “mosquito hawks” or “mosquito eaters,” but unfortunately, they are not predators of mosquitoes.
These flying insects are actually adult crane flies and although annoying to find in the home, they are basically harmless and won't help with any mosquito problems.
Many reports claim these adult European crane flies (Tipula paludosa) bite or sting, but this is false. Most adult crane flies, which superficially resemble large mosquitoes with very long legs, eat very little, if at all. Adult crane flies live for only a few weeks, and when they find their...
