365 Urban Species. #142: Crane Fly

[urbpan]

Urban species #142: Crane fly Nephrotoma ferruginea

Almost everybody has had the harrowing experience of encountering what appears to be the world's largest mosquito bumbling around the light fixture, or perched ominously on the wall. The insect is ignored, caught and released outdoors, or (most likely) flattened with a blunt instrument. The insect in question is the harmless, which is to say non-biting, crane fly. There are hundreds of species of them, and when they are fully grown, most do not feed on anything at all, never mind on human blood. Their larvae live in the soil feeding on the roots of grass and other plants, and are called "leatherjackets" by those who attempt to exterminate them. Of course, if insecticide is used to control them, predacious insects such as ground beetles are killed as well, possibly exacerbating the problem. Adult crane flies live a very short time, and are important prey for bats, swallows, and chimney swifts.

Comments

[klandaghicat.livejournal.com]

Yup, Skeeter-gitters, or Mosquito Hawks. Way cool info! I'll pass it on to the kid, who absolutely wigs over them! We like bats, and I rarely kill these guys anyway.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Are you also Californian? "Skeeter-gitters," sounds rather rustic--and also applies better to dragonflies. Hmmm.

Some time I need to ask you about your pet skunks. I take care of three wild-born captives, and apparently there is quite a controversy between the pet skunk-owner and zoo skunk-keeper communities about what to feed them.

[klandaghicat.livejournal.com]

Hee hee! I am actually, Californian, originally. I don't remember where we picked up the idea that these eat mosquitoes. WA State, maybe? Where, I do remember huge mosquitoes. "Skeeter-gitter" probably came from living in AR or AL. My husband, a 3rd generation Atlantan, also calls them mosquito hawks.

E-mail me (my addy is on my UI). There's a lot of controversy regarding skunk diet among skunk owners, even. I've wondered if wild-caught and captive-bred skunks have different requirements, but I think it would have to do with the intent to release of the wild-caught. I've known of some who were kept, de-scented, and lived out long, happy lives in homes. I don't think anyone has diet exactly right, but I do know several people who've done a really good job of keeping their guys alive and healthy and each one has a different view on the matter. I can definitely discuss what doesn't work!

I want to add, thank you, also! Thanks to you, and your lj, I was able to talk for over two hours to my son's cousin, find common topics, and turn what would've been an uncomfortable journey into an enjoyable experience! He flew into Atlanta from Boston Saturday. I had to drive him to Montgomery. At the GA/AL state line, we saw no less than 9 roadkill armadillos, btw. It makes me wonder if GA is baiting them to prevent their becoming established in GA. There was also a large coyote, a fox (very small, reddish) a large rodent (hard to tell, beaver, maybe), the usual deer. No opossums, suprisingly.

[eringryffin.livejournal.com]

Hmm. A couple Southerners I know call them "skeeter-eaters," which sounds pretty close to that first term.

Me, I have always called them "wispety bugs," because of the way they flutter madly about trailing those overly-long legs. :)