Warmer weather means many pests are flying and joining you indoors while you shelter-in-place or outdoors while you are getting some exercise or keeping connected yet socially distant from the neighbors.
Lately you may have seen some large, leggy insects bumbling around on your walls and windows. What are these? While many people call them “mosquito eaters” or “mosquito hawks,” they are actually crane flies. And unfortunately, they do not eat mosquitoes. These insects may be a nuisance when you find them in your home, but the adults are basically harmless. Although the adults are not particular pests of importance, the larvae can be pests of lawns and turfgrass. You can read more about crane flies in a previous blogpost and learn about ways to manage crane flies in our Pest Notes: Lawn Insects.
Mosquitoes on the other hand are pests to be concerned about. Mosquitoes pierce through our skin with needle-like mouthparts, sucking out our blood. In doing so, they could also be transferring disease-causing pathogens. Find out more about protecting yourself from mosquitoes and reducing mosquito breeding sites in the UC IPM Pest Notes: Mosquitoes.