While they may look like bloodthirsty super-sized mosquitos, the long-legged crane flies inundating Texas will not bite you.
Often referred to as mosquito hawks, crane flies have saturated the state this season, reported The Dallas Morning News. While they may look like a large version of a conventional, itch-inducing mosquito, these skeeter eaters, as they are sometimes known, pose no threat.
“They are harmless. They don’t have any mouth parts so unfortunately, they can’t eat our mosquitoes which would be cool if they did,” said Dr. Sonja Swiger, an entomologist at Texas A&M University, per KUT News.
The proliferation of these harmless mosquito hawks is due to the unseasonably wet and warm weather this season. According to Swiger, crane flies are often “the first insect to emerge” following cold winter months. Unfortunately, this also means the more common form of mosquito, the one that bites, is likely to begin appearing again soon.
Last year, we also saw a surge of crane flies, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. The insects are often found near streams and lakes, but at certain times of the year, they can be found in large numbers in urban areas, hovering around houses and doorways.
“Flying around right now as adults, they don’t even eat. They don’t have feeding mouth parts,” Dr. Jessica Beckham, associate professor of instruction in the Integrative Biology Department at the University of Texas at San Antonio, told KENS5.
Because the insects only have a lifespan of only three days, they are singularly focused on mating.
“That is 100% their goal right now. They’re looking for a mate so they can reproduce and start the cycle all over again… It’s almost Shakespearean, right?” she said, per KENS5.
