Crane Flies

Are Crane Flies Harmful?

Crane flies, often mistaken for mosquitoes due to their appearance, are generally harmless to humans and animals. However, these flies can pose certain problems, particularly in their larval stage. Here are the main ways in which crane flies can be considered harmful:

• Damage to Lawns and Turf: The larvae of crane flies, commonly called "leatherjackets," are known to feed on the roots of grass. This feeding activity can cause significant damage to lawns and turf, leading to patchy, yellowed, or dead grass. Heavy infestations can be especially damaging to golf courses, sports fields, and other professionally managed lawns.
• Agricultural Impact: While crane fly larvae are primarily a concern for ornamental and turf grasses, they can sometimes infest agricultural crops, particularly in regions where these larvae are prevalent. The feeding of crane fly larvae can harm young plants and reduce crop yields.
• Food Chain Disruption: Although crane fly larvae are a food source for birds and other predators, large numbers of larvae can lead to an imbalance in local ecosystems, especially if their population spikes and overwhelms the predators. This can disrupt the natural food chain and affect local wildlife that depend on a diverse range of food sources.
• Fungal and Bacterial Growth: When crane fly larvae damage grass roots, they create an environment where pathogens such as fungi and bacteria can thrive, potentially leading to secondary issues like turf diseases. These diseases can worsen the damage caused by the larvae themselves.
• Attracting Other Pests: Crane flies themselves do not bite or sting, but their presence can attract other pests. For example, ants and other scavengers may be drawn to the larvae, increasing the overall pest problem in an area.

While adult crane flies do not cause harm directly to humans or animals, it’s the larvae that can become a nuisance, especially in areas where grass and turf are a significant part of the environment. Effective pest control measures may be needed to address infestations in lawns and agricultural settings.

Learn more: Do Crane Flies Bite?

Crane Fly Removal

Crane flies may look intimidating because of their size and long legs, but the urgency to control them largely depends on their life stage:

Larval Stage Damage (Most Critical)

The real concern is the crane fly larvae, commonly called “leatherjackets.” These larvae live in soil and feed on grass roots, seedlings, and other tender plant material. Heavy infestations can cause:

• Lawn damage: Patchy, thinning grass that may die off in severe cases. Lawns can appear brown or have “dead spots.”
• Crop and garden issues: If present in large numbers, leatherjackets can damage young vegetables, ornamental plants, and turfgrass in commercial or home settings.
• Secondary pest problems: Areas weakened by larval feeding can attract animals like birds, skunks, or raccoons, which dig up turf to feed on the larvae, causing further damage.

Adult Stage: Mostly Harmless

Adult crane flies are primarily nuisance insects—they don’t bite, sting, or eat plants. Their main impact is visual; swarms can be alarming, but they don’t cause direct damage. However, adult presence indicates that larvae are likely in the area.

Why Prompt Control Matters

• Rapid population growth: A single adult female can lay hundreds of eggs. Left unchecked, larval populations can explode within weeks, leading to extensive lawn or turf damage.
• Prevention is easier than repair: Damaged turf and crops require more effort, cost, and resources to restore than preventing leatherjackets from establishing.
• Integrated pest management (IPM) opportunity: Early intervention allows for targeted control (biological agents, nematodes, or insecticides) rather than large-scale chemical treatment after damage occurs.

Getting rid of crane flies isn’t about the adults—they’re mostly harmless—but about preventing the larvae from destroying turf, crops, and gardens. Ignoring them can quickly lead to costly, labor-intensive repairs.

Learn more: How To Get Rid Of Crane Flies

Crane Fly Control

Hiring our professional pest control for crane flies is a smart investment if you’re dealing with persistent or large-scale infestations. While crane flies themselves don’t bite or sting, their larvae—commonly called leatherjackets—can cause significant problems. Leatherjackets live in soil and feed on grassroots, destroying lawns, gardens, and even agricultural fields. When infestations are left unchecked, the damage can appear as thinning patches of grass, spongy turf, and brown, dying areas across your property. Our professional pest control brings several advantages that go far beyond what DIY treatments can offer:

• Accurate Identification: Many homeowners mistake crane flies for giant mosquitoes or harmless flying insects, which leads to misdirected control efforts. Our professionals can confirm the presence of crane flies and assess whether it’s adults or damaging larvae that need to be targeted.
• Targeted Treatment: Off-the-shelf products rarely solve crane fly problems effectively. Our professionals use proven treatments designed specifically to eliminate larvae in the soil, preventing ongoing turf damage. We also apply them at the right time in the life cycle, which is crucial for success.
• Long-Term Prevention: Our experts don’t just treat the current problem; we also provide strategies to prevent reinfestation. This can include habitat modifications, lawn care recommendations, and proactive treatment schedules.
• Safety and Efficiency: Our professionals use regulated products and methods safely and effectively, avoiding risks to children, pets, or beneficial insects in your yard. DIY misuse can create hazards and lead to resistant pest populations.
• Cost Savings Over Time: Hiring our pest control services is an investment that can save significant money in the long run by preventing the need to repair or replace damaged turf, landscaping, or crops.

Our professional pest control ensures that crane fly infestations are identified correctly, treated at the source, and managed in a way that protects both your property and your peace of mind.

Crane Fly Exterminators

Hiring our local exterminators instead of a national company for crane fly control offers several advantages, particularly because crane fly infestations are highly site-specific and seasonally dependent:

Deep Knowledge of Local Conditions

• Climate and soil understanding: Our local professionals know how the regional climate, soil types, and seasonal rainfall influence crane fly egg-laying and larval survival. For instance, leatherjackets thrive in moist soil, and the timing for intervention depends heavily on local weather patterns.
• Native turf and plant knowledge: We understand which grass species and ornamental plants in the area are most vulnerable to larvae, allowing for more precise treatment recommendations.
• Localized pest behavior: Different crane fly species are more prevalent in certain regions, and our local exterminators are more familiar with the species-specific life cycle as well as the best control methods.

Targeted, Effective Treatment

• Precise timing: Crane fly larvae are most vulnerable in late summer to early autumn, just before they pupate. Our local exterminators monitor the local population cycles and apply treatments when they are most effective.
• Tailored solutions: Rather than using broad-spectrum chemicals or generic strategies, our local team customizes our treatments based on infestation density, soil type, and turf condition.
• Reduced risk of unnecessary applications: National companies typically use standardized protocols, which often result in either over-treatment or missing critical intervention windows.

Faster Response and Follow-Up

• Rapid onsite evaluation: Our local professionals can visit your property quickly, identify the problem accurately, and recommend immediate action.
• Ongoing monitoring: Our local team provides ongoing monitoring and protective services, checking for residual larvae or re-infestation.

Accountability and Reputation

• Community reputation: Our local exterminators rely on word-of-mouth and repeat business. We have a vested interest in achieving visible results and maintaining long-term relationships.
• Direct communication: You can speak with the technician who will perform the work, ask specific questions, and adjust strategies on the fly. National companies often separate the assessment team, technicians, and customer service, making follow-up cumbersome.

Integrated Pest Management Expertise

• Customized IPM plans: Our local professionals implement integrated strategies, combining multiple control methods.
• Preventative focus: We create a seasonal plan that minimizes future infestations, rather than just reacting to visible adults.

Crane fly control is not one-size-fits-all. Our local exterminators provide precise timing, species-specific strategies, cost efficiency, and reliable follow-up. National chains may offer scale and branding, but they rarely match the nuanced knowledge, rapid response, and community accountability that our local professionals bring.

Crane Fly Solutions

Our exterminators use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control crane flies because, while adult crane flies are mostly harmless, their larvae—commonly called leatherjackets—can damage lawns, turf, and garden plants by feeding on roots. IPM begins with a thorough inspection to identify areas of larval activity, assess population levels, and determine environmental factors that support infestations, such as moist soil, thatch accumulation, or poorly drained turf. Management strategies focus on habitat modification, including improving drainage, reducing soil moisture, and maintaining healthy turf through proper mowing, aeration, and fertilization. Targeted interventions, such as biological controls (e.g., beneficial nematodes) or localized insecticide applications, are used selectively when larval populations pose a significant threat. Ongoing monitoring allows our exterminators to track activity, evaluate the effectiveness of control measures, and prevent reinfestation. By combining inspection, habitat management, targeted treatment, and monitoring, IPM provides a long-term, environmentally responsible, and effective approach for managing crane fly populations.

What Do Crane Flies Look Like?

Crane flies, often mistaken for large mosquitoes, have distinctive physical characteristics. Here is a detailed description of their appearance:

• Body Shape: Crane flies have an elongated, slender body that can measure up to 2 inches (5 cm) or more in length, depending on the species. Their body is usually cylindrical and delicate in appearance.
• Wings: Crane flies possess a pair of narrow, elongated wings. These wings are often transparent and can have a subtle smoky or brownish tint. The wingspan of a crane fly can vary, with some species having wingspans of 3 inches (7.5 cm) or more.
• Legs: They have long, spindly legs, which can make them look somewhat like daddy longlegs. These legs are not only used for walking but also for stability during flight.
• Head: Their head is relatively small in comparison to their body and features large, compound eyes, similar to other flying insects. Crane flies have short, thread-like antennae that arise from their head.
• Mouthparts: One distinctive feature of crane flies is their reduced and non-functional mouthparts as adults. They are unable to bite or feed, in contrast to mosquitoes or other flies. This lack of feeding behavior is because their sole purpose as adults is reproduction.
• Abdomen: The abdomen of a crane fly is often long and slender, extending the length of the body. It may have various markings or patterns, depending on the species, but it's typically pale or earth-toned in color.
• Coloration: The coloration of crane flies can vary. Some species are brown, gray, or pale, while others may have more distinct patterns or colors. These variations in color can help with camouflage in their respective habitats.

The appearance of crane flies can vary between species, and there are thousands of species worldwide. While they share common characteristics, specific details may differ, making them a diverse and intriguing group of insects. Despite their somewhat intimidating appearance, crane flies are harmless to humans and serve their own unique ecological roles.