Sheesh. Tucson has its share of crane flies this season. For a few days, multiple crane flies would clumsily take flight with each step as I walked around my property. They were in my face, they would land on my head, they swarmed around lights at night. What caused this irruption?
The Crane Fly is a member of the insect family Tipulidae. It resembles a mosquito, a very large mosquito. There are thousands of species worldwide. Despite the resemblance to a mosquito, these guys are quite harmless.
In most years, they are uncommon. I have kicked up more in one step this year than I have seen over the last few years. Their abundance is attributed to the wetter than normal winter and spring. The larva (grub) of the particular species we are currently seeing lives in the soil. They can live in the soil for several years during dry periods. Then under the right conditions, the metamorphosis process kicks in, resulting in an abundance of winged adults.
As I mentioned earlier, the winged adult stage is quite harmless. They don’t bite and they don’t harm plants. However, during the larva stage when they live in the soil, they can cause damage to roots and lawns.
If you would like more information, I recommend this article by Daniel Stolte at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Click here.