Cranefly

What is a cranefly?

The cranefly jacket, resembles a giant mosquito. The cranefly prefers warm, moist places with abundant vegetation.
There are many species that are common throughout the United States and Canada. The cranefly itself is not known to be destructive, but the larvae (leather jacket) will feed on many kinds of vegetation - particularly grasses. 

The adult cranefly is a dull, gray-brown colour, with bulging eyes and a long slender body.  It is slightly more than 3/4 inch in length, with long, thread-like legs and narrow wings.  Egg laying time for the female comes during late summer.  She deposits several hundred oval black eggs in moist soil and they hatch into larvae (leather jackets) by fall.

Young leather jackets are dull graybrown coloured worms that tend to gather on hard surfaces such as driveways, walkways, etc. after a rainfall.  During the day they feed on roots and decaying vegetation in the soil and on warm, wet nights they come to the surface to feed.  They chew on low lying leaves and often sever plants at the crown.

Larvae feed in the fall, overwinter in the soil and start feeding again when temperatures are moderate in the spring.  The adult cranefly emerges by early summer to continue the life cycle.

Control

Invasions of cranefly larvae are highly dependent on weather.  When temperatures are high and there is little rain, both eggs and larvae are destroyed and the opportunity for infestation is greatly decreased. The European cranefly seems to require mild winter temperatures, cool summers and average annual rainfall of at least 24 inches.

We recommend that you keep a strong, healthy lawn with a good fertilizer program to minimize damage. If you suspect any problems are developing, give us a call and we will send someone out  to assess and make recommendations for your lawn.

We can control Cranefly. Please contact our office.