Hello,I live in the St. Louis area of Missouri and during the summer, Crane Flies (I call them Mosquito Eaters) fly around all the time at night. I believe that it is normal for this type of bug to be nocturnal, but lately, I've seen them flying around, jumping around, and getting in the house DURING THE DAYTIME!! (AHH!!) :0 Is there any explanation for this? If so, is there anyway to reduce their population in and around my house? Thanks for reading.Ty
Then there must have been alot of insects in your house recently? Because it's summer time and things grow and reproduce at this time of the year
Because You are seeing a different pattern than in years before I am thinking that you might be invaded by the invasive Crane Fly species 2 that I know of. If you have them or think that you do then please report them to the local State University for identification PLEASE. The two species are these Tipula paludosa and Tipula deracea. Latin at 11:00 p.m. not my best, sorry. But this is one thing that you can do first, down load and look at this PDF and see if it looks familiar, then call the Local U. or the Dept. of Ag. for further advice. http:www.nysipm rnell.edu/factsheet/...
Crane flies will probably be interested in the sunshine of the condo, so decreasing the light subsequent to the structure and what escapes from the home windows can help. They come from floor so it is rough to really do whatever to manipulate them.
Crane Fly larva are rat-tailed maggots that prefer stagnant, even polluted water. Check around your neighborhood to see if you have any stagnant pools (I've seen them in water-filled tree hollows, but this sounds like a more significant source) or polluted, but low-flowing, streams. If you find any, this might be a good opportunity to do a little environmental restoration.
Mosquito Eater... That's interesting lol. I grew up calling them candlestick bugs. In any case, crane fly populations can explode when they have plenty of resources and few predators in the larval stage. It's possible that there is a shortage in invertivores (animals which eat invertebrates, such as insects or crustaceans) that provide top-down population control in the aquatic environment from which your population came. These insects are harmless and provide food and energy to myriad other organisms in their food web. For that reason, I suggest that you just catch them and take them outside. We get huge ones around here (Western Kentucky, think 2.5-3 inches from head to tip of abdomen with a good 6 inch leg span haha), so I wouldn't suggest squishing them in the house on the wall or anything lol. If you're really bothered by them, I don't really have a non-messy solution. As a biologist, I kind of just ignore them. Also, these animals are attracted to light. Maybe turn off your porch lights, if you have any, and keep your doors closed?
