- Author: Paula Pashby
Have you noticed that there are recently a lot of large flies all over the place that look like over-sized mosquitos? I have seen these creatures before but never in such large quantities this early in the season.
I heard that they are not a pest of concern, but with these large numbers I wondered if there can be any potential damage to my newly planted veggie garden. The new plants are still small and I want to make sure they will grow healthy.
I snapped a picture for reference end did some research on these long-legged flying visitors. The first go-to place for information is the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) website: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/. UCIPM has a wealth of information and can be used to learn about how manage all kinds of pests in urban, agricultural,wildland or natural areas.
I discovered that these insects are actually flies; crane flies (Tipulidaeare) to be exact and only live, on average for a couple of weeks. They are also called mosquito hawks andskeeter-eaters. However, they are not mosquitoes nor do they actually eat mosquitoes. According to UCIPM, the crane flies do not cause are harmless, but their larvae (also known asleatherjackets because of their thick skin) do tend to feed on the roots and crowns of clover and grass plants.
You can scout for crane fly larvae early in the season, usually found in areas where water may pool. UC IPM recommends protecting grasses from crane fly larvae by taking the regular steps for keeping the plants growing healthy. Frequent irrigation and adding a Nitrogen fertilizer will help your plants resist larvae damages and speed up recovery.
I thought that the crane fly looked like a spooky blood sucker, but take a look at their larvae… ugh!
For more information, visit UC IPM/crane fly: Crane Flies / Turfgrass / Agriculture: Pest Management Guidelines / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM) (ucanr.edu)