Daddy-long-legs ... ?
 

In the last couple of weeks, we've been inundated with them. They seem to
be attracted to light and fly in through any window or door open for more
than 2 seconds!

What exactly are they? I've seen some contradictory accounts by Googling.
Are they spiders? Why have I got so many? Do they nest? How can I get rid
of them?




a

al wrote:
:: In the last couple of weeks, we've been inundated with them. They
:: seem to be attracted to light and fly in through any window or
:: door open for more than 2 seconds!
::
:: What exactly are they? I've seen some contradictory accounts by
:: Googling. Are they spiders? Why have I got so many? Do they
:: nest? How can I get rid of them?
::
They are craneflies.
Their grubs are known as leatherjackets and live in the soil (and they are
ugly as sin!)...no they don't nest, they're not spiders and you can get rid
of them by keeping windows closed when the lights are on...also turn off any
outside lights as they will hang around and wait for you to open the door!


PS, the one's that look like they might sting you are males...the sting is
in fact his 'thing' :-p

Phil L wrote:
:: al wrote:
:::: In the last couple of weeks, we've been inundated with them.
:::: They seem to be attracted to light and fly in through any window
:::: or door open for more than 2 seconds!
::::
:::: What exactly are they? I've seen some contradictory accounts by
:::: Googling. Are they spiders? Why have I got so many? Do they
:::: nest? How can I get rid of them?
::::
:: They are craneflies.
:: Their grubs are known as leatherjackets and live in the soil (and
:: they are ugly as sin!)...no they don't nest, they're not spiders
:: and you can get rid of them by keeping windows closed when the
:: lights are on...also turn off any outside lights as they will hang
:: around and wait for you to open the door!
::


I meant to say the pointed ones are actually females, it's her 'thing'...she
lays eggs from it!

The adults do not eat anything but their larvae do, mostly vegetation in the
soil.

"Phil L" wrote in message
.. .
I meant to say the pointed ones are actually females, it's her
'thing'...she
lays eggs from it!

The adults do not eat anything but their larvae do, mostly vegetation in
the
soil.


Any idea why there's so damn many of them this year? Is it just me or is it
a widespread thing? I came in late tonight and about 6 of them got in the
front door with me!!




a

"Phil L" wrote in message
...
They are craneflies.
Their grubs are known as leatherjackets and live in the soil (and they are
ugly as sin!)...no they don't nest, they're not spiders and you can get
rid
of them by keeping windows closed when the lights are on...also turn off
any
outside lights as they will hang around and wait for you to open the door!

Thanks for the pointer - I've been able to find them on the web now. I
think the Americans have a different thing in mind when they say Daddy
long-legs .. would seem to be an actual spider over there that eats other
spiders.

I've not noticed these leatherjackets in our garden at all - least not in
the grass. The flowerbeds are a little overgrown at the moment so they
could be hiding in there! Apparently September is their main month.

In August, we had a lot of big normal spiders running around in the house -
they seem to have left now, though there's quite a few of them with big webs
outside still. I combined two of their webs one time accidentally with a
stick and moments later they attacked each other!! Was very funny to watch
(don't flame me spider lovers!! ;)





a

"Phil L" wrote in message
.. .
Phil L wrote:
:: al wrote:
:::: In the last couple of weeks, we've been inundated with them.
:::: They seem to be attracted to light and fly in through any window
:::: or door open for more than 2 seconds!
::::
:::: What exactly are they? I've seen some contradictory accounts by
:::: Googling. Are they spiders? Why have I got so many? Do they
:::: nest? How can I get rid of them?
::::
:: They are craneflies.
:: Their grubs are known as leatherjackets and live in the soil (and
:: they are ugly as sin!)...no they don't nest, they're not spiders
:: and you can get rid of them by keeping windows closed when the
:: lights are on...also turn off any outside lights as they will hang
:: around and wait for you to open the door!
::


I meant to say the pointed ones are actually females, it's her
'thing'...she
lays eggs from it!
Ovipod?

The adults do not eat anything but their larvae do, mostly vegetation in
the
soil.
Ah that's why they are so slim.

al wrote:
:: "Phil L" wrote in message
:: .. .
::: I meant to say the pointed ones are actually females, it's her
::: 'thing'...she
::: lays eggs from it!
:::
::: The adults do not eat anything but their larvae do, mostly
::: vegetation in the
::: soil.
:::
::
:: Any idea why there's so damn many of them this year? Is it just
:: me or is it a widespread thing? I came in late tonight and about
:: 6 of them got in the front door with me!!

We get them from time to time but it's a bit cold where I am and we've not
had the windows open on an evening now for about a month...now is their
favourite time of year, maybe breeding/egglaying season?
They adore grass, especially long grass so if you have a lot of that near
you, you're more at risk of being troubled by them.
They are harmless, cannot bite nor sting, nor pass on any nasty diseases...I
think they go towards the light to find a mate? - I don't know...we don't
see a lot of them here, we seem to get more moths than craneflies on summer
nights.

ex WGS Hamm wrote:
:: "Phil L" wrote in message
:: .. .
::: Phil L wrote:
::::: al wrote:
::::::: In the last couple of weeks, we've been inundated with them.
::::::: They seem to be attracted to light and fly in through any
::::::: window or door open for more than 2 seconds!
:::::::
::::::: What exactly are they? I've seen some contradictory accounts
::::::: by Googling. Are they spiders? Why have I got so many? Do
::::::: they nest? How can I get rid of them?
:::::::
::::: They are craneflies.
::::: Their grubs are known as leatherjackets and live in the soil
::::: (and they are ugly as sin!)...no they don't nest, they're not
::::: spiders and you can get rid of them by keeping windows closed
::::: when the lights are on...also turn off any outside lights as
::::: they will hang around and wait for you to open the door!
:::::
:::
:::
::: I meant to say the pointed ones are actually females, it's her
::: 'thing'...she lays eggs from it!
:: Ovipod?

yes, her pointy, egglaying thing.

::: The adults do not eat anything but their larvae do, mostly
::: vegetation in the soil.
:: Ah that's why they are so slim.

Ours aren't slim! - big fat ugly grubs, the birds seem to enjoy them though.

"Phil L" wrote in message
...
We get them from time to time but it's a bit cold where I am and we've not
had the windows open on an evening now for about a month...now is their
favourite time of year, maybe breeding/egglaying season?
They adore grass, especially long grass so if you have a lot of that near
you, you're more at risk of being troubled by them.
They are harmless, cannot bite nor sting, nor pass on any nasty
diseases...I
think they go towards the light to find a mate? - I don't know...we don't
see a lot of them here, we seem to get more moths than craneflies on
summer
nights.


It's still warm enough to want at least the bathroom window open overnight
(famous last words!). We have a nice fresh grassy garden (new lawn last
year) and a large field with a river running through it behind our property,
so probably ample breeding ground there!!

They're just damned annoying - even their flight is noisy! Keep landing in
drinks and stuff .... grrrr ....!




a

al wrote:
:: "Phil L" wrote in message
:: ...
::: We get them from time to time but it's a bit cold where I am and
::: we've not had the windows open on an evening now for about a
::: month...now is their favourite time of year, maybe
::: breeding/egglaying season?
::: They adore grass, especially long grass so if you have a lot of
::: that near you, you're more at risk of being troubled by them.
::: They are harmless, cannot bite nor sting, nor pass on any nasty
::: diseases...I
::: think they go towards the light to find a mate? - I don't
::: know...we don't see a lot of them here, we seem to get more moths
::: than craneflies on summer
::: nights.
:::
::
:: It's still warm enough to want at least the bathroom window open
:: overnight (famous last words!).

Maybe where you are (London?)...I'm about 200 miles further North and we've
had the fire on for the past two weeks! - we've not put the central heating
on yet, but I think it's getting close...

We have a nice fresh grassy
:: garden (new lawn last year) and a large field with a river running
:: through it behind our property, so probably ample breeding ground
:: there!!
::
That's probably where they're coming from

:: They're just damned annoying - even their flight is noisy! Keep
:: landing in drinks and stuff .... grrrr ....!
::
They're dead easy to catch, they don't even try to fly away! - you can knock
them down with a cloth in mid flight and just pick them up off the floor,
they're pretty dumb really...not good flyers at all.

"al" wrote in message
.uk...
snip
I've not noticed these leatherjackets in our garden at all - least
not in
the grass. The flowerbeds are a little overgrown at the moment so
they
could be hiding in there! Apparently September is their main month.

The leatherjackets will be right down in the soil at grass root level
munching away on the roots.
After feeding all through the summer its now time for them to pupate,
hatch and get mating.

There are several different species ranging from tiddlers not much
bigger than midges right up to the biggies (Tipula maxima) with a
4inch leg span. They are all harmless to humans.

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 29.09.2004

On Thu, 30 Sep 2004 22:27:46 GMT, "al"
wrote:

"Phil L" wrote in message
. ..
They are craneflies.
Their grubs are known as leatherjackets and live in the soil (and they are
ugly as sin!)...no they don't nest, they're not spiders and you can get
rid
of them by keeping windows closed when the lights are on...also turn off
any
outside lights as they will hang around and wait for you to open the door!

Thanks for the pointer - I've been able to find them on the web now. I
think the Americans have a different thing in mind when they say Daddy
long-legs .. would seem to be an actual spider over there that eats other
spiders.

It seems to be a generic term for a number in insects.
Back in Essex, the Daddy Longlegs was the Harvestman ( not actually a
spider ) - and here in Hants the Cardinal spider seems to have taken
on the title...and this is the one that preys on other spiders - or at
least that's how it appears. I've often seen them feeding on corpses
of large house spiders, but never actually seen one catch the other.

Considering the difference in size and speed, I'm none too sure how
the Cardinal manages it.

As for the Cranefly...my Jack Russell loves 'em. A tasty seasonal
treat. The other dog won't touch them at all - so perhaps it's an
acquired taste?

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

al wrote:
"Phil L" wrote in message
.. .

Any idea why there's so damn many of them this year? Is it just me or is it
a widespread thing? I came in late tonight and about 6 of them got in the
front door with me!!


Lots around here too (London) - they've been keeping my Nepenthes well
fed. They do seem to be quite abundant.

Not only that but spiders! This definitely has been the summer of
arachno-plenitude in my garden. In my neighbourhood for that matter.
Don't know waht could have brought that about, there doesn't seem to be
fewer birds about.

Thes.

"Phil L" wrote in message
.. .
Phil L wrote:
:: al wrote:
:::: In the last couple of weeks, we've been inundated with them.
:::: They seem to be attracted to light and fly in through any window
:::: or door open for more than 2 seconds!
::::
:::: What exactly are they? I've seen some contradictory accounts by
:::: Googling. Are they spiders? Why have I got so many? Do they
:::: nest? How can I get rid of them?
::::
:: They are craneflies.
:: Their grubs are known as leatherjackets and live in the soil (and
:: they are ugly as sin!)...no they don't nest, they're not spiders
:: and you can get rid of them by keeping windows closed when the
:: lights are on...also turn off any outside lights as they will hang
:: around and wait for you to open the door!
::


I meant to say the pointed ones are actually females, it's her
'thing'...she
lays eggs from it!

The adults do not eat anything but their larvae do, mostly vegetation in
the
soil.


I lost a pub quizz on that one... because the question originated from the
other side of the Atlantic!
In the US, pholcuses (those very long legged, and small bodied spiders which
live in the corners of our ceilings) are known as Daddy Long Legs - here
(Ireland/UK), the craneflies are known under that name.

My way of getting rid of them, is to look after my pholcuses - they eat the
most amazing amount of craneflies... I let them get a dinner or two, then
hoover up the remaining "parcel" of be-webbed dead cranefly...

Pholcuses are simply the best natural flying pest control there is... so
long as you're not arachnophobic :-)

--
Cat(h)
The world swirls...

On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 07:51:47 +0100, Malcolm
wrote:


I can't imagine why you were able to find something on Google which
indicated they were spiders! They have six legs and one pair of wings
and are flies. There are some 300 different species in the UK, of which
the largest has a wing span of about 6 cm, the smallest about 1.5 cm.

That's the trouble with common names. As far as I know, there are two
different spiders in the U.S. that are both called daddy-long-legs. One in
the East (well, at least in Ohio) has a round smooth bright-brown body a
little over 1/4 inch in diameter, with very thin legs that touch the
ground in a circle with a diameter of about 2 inches. (IIRC, this is
actually not a true spider.) The one in California is rather disappointing
by comparison - a rather ordinary thin small pointed spider-type body,
with legs that splay out to only about an inch.

cheers,

Marj
--
Mediterranean Garden Advice and Shop: http://stores.tiefert.com/garden/
Also: http://www.mindspring.com/~mtiefert/...gardening.html
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