Are those giant mosquitoes on my home? Phoenix and Scottsdale exterminators see lots of them!

In Phoenix and Scottsdale Exterminators get daily questions about giant mosquitoes, mosquito eaters or mosquito hawks in the spring. But are they mosquitoes? Do giant mosquitoes at home really eat mosquitoes?

What the heck is this giant mosquito looking dudes that fly all over your property and come into your home and what can you, an exterminator or pest control operator do about them? In this article, I’ll explain what these guys are if you should be worried about them and what, if anything can or should be done about them.

Crane Flies

Okay, we got that out of the way. They are crane flies. Crane-fly is the common name for thousands of species of true flies in a family that are all quite similar to each other. Though they are often called a variety of names including Mosquito Eater, Mosquito Hawk, Skeeter Eater, Giant Mosquito, and even Daddy-Long-Legs (WHAT?!), none of these names are correct.

These misnomers imply behavior about the crane fly that isn’t true. Some folks think these are Giant Mosquitoes and that they feed on the blood of humans and other animals. In reality, they lack the mouthparts to pierce the skin to drink blood.

Well then they are Mosquito Eaters, Skeeter Eaters (My favorite of the incorrect names) or Mosquito hawks, and they eat true mosquitoes. We should be grateful that they help us exterminators out with mosquito pest control. Right?

Not Quite. While crane fly larva, or leather jackets as they are called, have chewing mouthparts and are capable of eating a variety of items, other insects or any other living animals are usually not on the menu. And although the larva spends their entire lives eating or looking for food, the adult crane flies not only lacks the mouthparts to kill or eat other insects, they actually don’t eat at all during their adulthood which usually only lasts for a few days.

Well, what does and adult crane fly do for its short life? They fly around, rather clumsily because they don’t have the wingspan to be strong flyers, looking for a mate. Then they lay their eggs and die. That’s it. They aren’t interested in you unless you are a crane fly of the opposite sex.

Are Crane Flies considered pests?

So what can you do about these things? Should you do anything about them? Scottsdale exterminators can’t really do much to prevent these guys from coming around your property. Because they fly and cover lots of areas sometimes. And because they pose no danger to humans, their pets or their property and their larva provide an environmental benefit to soil and water, they are not usually considered pests.

The argument can be made through that they can get pretty annoying when a good amount of them get into your home. This can bring them into “pest” territory and makes them fair game for killing. An aerosol or fly swatter is usually the best way to take these guys out. An interior baseboard treatment would do nothing to help because they rarely land on the baseboards.

Of course, the best way to keep crane flies out of the house is to keep the doors and windows shut. The problem with this is that in the area around Phoenix and Scottsdale exterminators will start to see them around mid to late February, the time of year when everyone wants to have their windows and doors open. Personally I still keep the doors and windows open because the free, perfect temperature air is too good to pass up. And I’m willing to have a few cranes flies around as the trade-off.

I hope this has been educational for you. And it has served to clear up some of the myths about these harmless flies.

Mosquito Control Service in Phoenix

If you’re having a problem with any pest…or you simply have a question about natural pest control…call NaturZone Pest Control, the Scottsdale exterminators at 602-476-1088 and ask for me, Jeffrey.  I’ll be happy to speak with you anytime.

Till then, thanks for reading!

Here’s to helping YOU live Pest Free,

Jeffrey

PS. Call 602-476-1088 today for a FREE Consultation and FREE 58 Point Pest Analysis of your home or office!

Giant Mosquitoes at home is a big problem. Many house owners call us for the treatment of bugs. We’re the NatureZone pest control in Phoenix & Scottsdale give free Consultation