Move over mosquitoes; there’s a new nuisance in town: crane flies.
While the leggy bugs look like everyone’s worst nightmare — massive bloodsucking mosquitoes on a mission to suck every last drop of blood on the planet — the oversized insects are gentle giants.
Also known under the moniker mosquito hawk, crane flies aren’t interested in feasting on our blood. Yup, that’s right; they don’t bite. These lanky bugs also don’t buzz. In fact, despite their scary appearance, there’s really nothing to be afraid of.
Other than not sucking blood, crane flies are really clumsy and can often be found climbing the walls as well as circling and careening like drunks around a front porch light. Why are they so clumsy, you ask? Well, let’s just say mother nature didn’t bless these friendly bugs with a body as agile as mosquitoes causing them to be quite wobbly in the air.
In addition to not buzzing in our ears or feasting on our flesh, unlike skeeters, crane flies don’t spread life-threatening diseases. Overall, these skinny long-legged flying bugs are really no big deal... unless, of course, you’re dealing with an infestation.
Interested in learning more? We’ve got this covered.
Read on to discover more about these large mosquito imposters and the damage they can cause.
Crane Flies 101: Everything You Need To Know
If there’s a relatively large leggy insect floating around your house, bouncing from wall to wall, we don’t blame you if the first thing you do is run for cover. The long creepy legs, its beady little eyes, and massive wings are enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.
However, if the humongous winged beast isn’t chasing you down the hallway and appears to be dazed and confused — there’s a pretty good chance you’re dealing with a harmless crane fly.
Although crane flies look very similar to mosquitoes, they don’t possess the bloodsucking mouthparts as the little vampires, so they won’t hunt you down to feast on your flesh. Instead of blood, these friendly giants prefer a diet rich in sweet sugary nectar and hydrating dew that coats plants and fruits, but generally eat very little.
Mosquitoes vs. Crane Flies: Differences
Other than their appearance, crane flies are very different from mosquitoes. For starters, if you find one of these friendly foes inside your home, chances are it ended up there by accident. These bugs are attracted to light, which coaxes them inside.
When you notice one of them bouncing against the walls and ceiling, it’s because they’re trying to get out: they don’t like being inside. Mosquitoes, however, can willingly live indoors, especially if there’s water.
Another huge difference that we touched on a little earlier is that crane flies won’t bite or sting you. They are totally harmless to people (and animals) and don’t even have teeth or a siphon to bite with. What’s more, crane flies only eat during the larval stage and can be omnivorous. The adults usually live no more than two weeks, so they don’t exactly have a need to eat much.
The One To Bug Out Over: Mosquitoes
On the other side of the coin, we have mosquitoes — these little vampires will snack on your blood until their tiny cold-blooded hearts are content. And when their bellies are full, they’ll buzz away, leaving nothing behind but a red itchy welt.
Mosquito bites can be quite literally a pain, especially for kids. Our poor tiny tots go crazy with the itching and scratching, especially if they have an allergy to mosquitoes. If your favorite young one is in a tizzy due to an itchy boo-boo, we recommend our revolutionary itch relief patches, Magic Patch!
Non-toxic and chemical-free, our grid-relief technology gently adjusts the skin to help the lymphatic system drain the saliva injected by icky skeeters, which causes the itch. Super simple to use, all you have to do is peel off an adorable and colorful relief patch, press it on over the bug bite, and the itch should disappear in 30 to 60 seconds like the fine morning mist.
While the crane fly’s diet is probably the most notable difference, these gentle souls also differ from mosquitoes because they don’t transmit life-threatening diseases.
Believe it or not, mosquitoes are considered to be the most threatening animal on Earth, responsible for more than one million deaths each year. Now, to be clear, these bloodthirsty savages don’t kill in the way lions, tigers, or bears (oh, my!) do.
You see, skeeters are silent killers that carry vector-borne illnesses. And when an infected mosquito pierces your skin and injects its saliva to suck your blood, it is also transmitting the disease pathogens.
Even though mosquito-related deaths aren’t common in every area of the world, that definitely doesn’t mean we shouldn’t watch out for symptoms following a bite. If, after getting bitten by a pesky bloodsucker, you fall victim to a fever, headache, or fatigue, visit your doctor to get checked out.
Repel Mosquitoes Naturally
That being said, there’s no way to tell which mosquitoes are carrying diseases unless, of course, you’re a scientist in a lab, so it’s best to do everything you can to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting bitten.
While there are many products on the market designed to repel mosquitoes, we recommend skipping the gross chemicals and reaching for our all-natural mosquito repellent patches instead — BuzzPatch.
Formulated with care for you and your family, BuzzPatch uses the most effective but safe, kid-friendly essential oils designed to confuse mosquitos and help your kids fly under the skeeters’ radar. And the best part? Unlike topical bug sprays that contain Picaridin or DEET, BuzzPatch is super simple to use and kind to the environment.
When Crane Flies Become A Nuisance
As you can see, even though they may look scary, when compared to mosquitoes, crane flies are pretty sweet. That is, unless you’re dealing with an infestation.
Adult crane flies are nothing more than friendly giants that enjoy sipping nectar from plants during their short lifespan. When they are in the larval stage, however, these babies can do quite a bit of damage to turf grass when populations are heavy.
Known as the leather jacket, the larva feeds on thatch and roots beneath lawns, and when you’re dealing with an infestation, your yard will exhibit unsightly brown spots with poor growth.
To prevent these baby crane flies from harming your beautiful luscious green lawn, be sure to keep up with mowings weekly and reduce excess moisture with longer, less frequent irrigation.
Interesting Insects
Among all the icky pests in the animal kingdom, we’d say crane flies are really not all that bad... especially when compared to bloodthirsty mosquitoes.
Here at The Natural Patch Co., we know how annoying skeeters can be. That’s why we created BuzzPatch: all-natural non-woven fabric patches infused with child-friendly essential oils designed to keep mosquitoes far away from your little ones.
Perfect for all of your outdoor adventures, try BuzzPatch today and tell those pesky bugs to hit the road!
Sources:
Fighting the World's Deadliest Animal | CDC
Mosquito Hawk? | Entomology Today
Managing Crane Fly in Lawns | OSU Extension Catalog | Oregon State University
