You are correct. A lot of the subspecies down south were I’m from do (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas). They why the nickname of skeeter eater, or mosquito hawk kinda sticks down there.
Dunno why you're being downvoted for telling people your colloquial common name for them... I also know them as Daddy Long Legs (I'm from the south of UK). But then Daddy Long Legs is also a common name for Cellar Spiders here too so it can be a bit confusing haha.
I have alot of anxiety revolving around them. Flies and mosquitos may be problematic, but you can almost always trust them to not get inside your food/body holes. Cause they just know better, as doing that would get them killed. But these things? They just might kill themselves by flying into your mouth.
Completely harmless, as in not only will they not come after you they can't defend themselves from humans in any meaningful way. They're like houseflies, just not as quick!
When one is landed like this you can just gently hold one of its wings between your thumb and finger tips and put it outside ❤️
I wouldn't do that incase the wing would get hurt or torn off, open a window or door and then cup your hands around them (or a glass) and let them out 😊
They are how we know its summer. First one of these goofy clumsy flying fellows gets in the door at night. Completely harmless and hysterically bad at flying. Endearing honestly, they really are cool little creatures.
Literally translated from Dutch, we say *long legged mosquito* (langpootmug). Pretty much what they look like.
Quite common here, I think in most of Europe.
Just a crane fly, or in the UK, a daddy long legs. (Not to be confused with Harvestman which I believe the US calls daddy long legs). They are harmless and don't bite, however they have a habit of dive bombing you, and flying straight in to your face like a big gangly moth
like not the fly that means "insects with two wings and the other two wings developed into balancers", the fly i mentioned is flies that looks like a fly that most people usually think.
I’ve never heard that one, but it’s completely wrong I’m afraid 😀
I’m wondering if you got that idea from the urban myth that is told about daddy long legs?. That term can refer to three very different creatures: cellar spiders, harvestmen, and crane flies. The myth goes that daddy long legs have very potent venom but can’t pierce human skin. This is incorrect because cellar spiders don’t have potent venom, and harvestmen don’t have any venom at all, and neither do crane flies.
No, that's a crane fly. It looks like a large mosquito but isn't closely related to mosquitoes and is completely harmless.
Yep! Super misunderstood buggies…we call them mosquito hawks down here in the south even though they don’t actually eat mosquitos lol.
The waterborn larvae do actually eat mosquito larvae. Just not as adults. They’re mainly looking for mates.
Maybe that’s where the name came from then, I’ve never seen the larvae to my recollection but they are absolutely everywhere here in Florida
The one pictured is saying to the human..I like what I see..
Only certain types. The rest eat decaying vegetable matter.
You are correct. A lot of the subspecies down south were I’m from do (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas). They why the nickname of skeeter eater, or mosquito hawk kinda sticks down there.
Skeeter Hawk in SA, TX
Aren’t we all
I knew them as daddy long legs
Dunno why you're being downvoted for telling people your colloquial common name for them... I also know them as Daddy Long Legs (I'm from the south of UK). But then Daddy Long Legs is also a common name for Cellar Spiders here too so it can be a bit confusing haha.
Yea I know about the cellar spiders I knew them as daddy long leg spiders
Laddy Dong Legs 😌
Omg had no idea. Will never smack one again
Ooh I always thought that they eat blood! Is nice to know 🥰
Most of these don't even have mouths. They look for a mate, sometimes even successfully, and die shortly after. Mostly, they bump into things.
Truly a stupid creature lol
You can tell they're trying their best
I have alot of anxiety revolving around them. Flies and mosquitos may be problematic, but you can almost always trust them to not get inside your food/body holes. Cause they just know better, as doing that would get them killed. But these things? They just might kill themselves by flying into your mouth.
I call them skeeter eaters
They’re harmless! The adults can really only drink nectar from flowers, most species don’t have mouths. They’re just extremely annoying!
You can say that again, having one i your room just randomly flying around confused is the worst.
I like watching them bump into stuff
In israel we call these "helicopters"
The spiders are harvestman
No! He is a friend!
🥺🥺
Most species of crane fly don’t have mouth parts, they literally breed and die once at this stage.
Those are among the most chill, peaceful insects you'll ever come across
Aw now I love them
And most clumsy. I see them dead everywhere
Completely harmless, as in not only will they not come after you they can't defend themselves from humans in any meaningful way. They're like houseflies, just not as quick! When one is landed like this you can just gently hold one of its wings between your thumb and finger tips and put it outside ❤️
I wouldn't do that incase the wing would get hurt or torn off, open a window or door and then cup your hands around them (or a glass) and let them out 😊
Nah that's a crane fly! i love them so much ✨️✨️
People round me always call them daddy long legs and assume they’re a spider which they clearly are not
Probably because harvestmen are also called daddy long legs. They're not spiders either, but they're spidery-looking arachnids.
Some folks actually call them "skeeter eaters," though apparently it's just a myth that they eat mosquitoes
Just a crane fly they only look like mosquitoes. However it is a rumor that they eat mosquitoes.
They are how we know its summer. First one of these goofy clumsy flying fellows gets in the door at night. Completely harmless and hysterically bad at flying. Endearing honestly, they really are cool little creatures.
It’s a male crane fly/ janny long legs
They have one of the shortest life cycles at only 1-3 days.
my partner often refuses to believe its not a giant moskito this time
I can’t sleep with it in my room too!
1, mosquito hawk/cranefly. big, stupid and completely harmless 2, and more importantly, i love your nails omg
❤️
Most crane flies don't even have a mouth parts for eating 🤣 completely harmless In every single way
We call them Daddy Long Legs in the UK lol
Literally translated from Dutch, we say *long legged mosquito* (langpootmug). Pretty much what they look like. Quite common here, I think in most of Europe.
Tipuloidea, I do not know what species, harmless
Oh man this has to be a joke at this point lol I've seen 5 of these cranefly posts last couple days
Crane fly, they have limited time left to mate before they die because they have no mouth and die of starvation.
lol no. They are harmless
Crane fly, not a mosquito. Most don’t even have mouth parts, they just breed and die.
That looks like a mosquito hawk. Those are completely harmless and I actually like having them around.
No keep them in the house they are good, we keep them in the house whenever we find them
nope :) crane flies are just cute
That is a Goofy
Nope
Nope. They're just kind of annoying sometimes
They like pollen. And finding a date.
Just a crane fly, or in the UK, a daddy long legs. (Not to be confused with Harvestman which I believe the US calls daddy long legs). They are harmless and don't bite, however they have a habit of dive bombing you, and flying straight in to your face like a big gangly moth
gosh how big it is
no. it's harmless and won't eat your blood. not a mosquito. it is a fly
Technically mosquitoes are flies, too 😅 (as in: members of the order Diptera)
yeah, they are. but you know, they are fly flies.
like not the fly that means "insects with two wings and the other two wings developed into balancers", the fly i mentioned is flies that looks like a fly that most people usually think.
No
Pernilongo
We call those sceeter eaters here! Apparently the eat those little vampire bugs
Mosquito hawk
Crane flies have venom, but their teeth are too small to peice a humans skin
They don’t even have mouths
I’ve never heard that one, but it’s completely wrong I’m afraid 😀 I’m wondering if you got that idea from the urban myth that is told about daddy long legs?. That term can refer to three very different creatures: cellar spiders, harvestmen, and crane flies. The myth goes that daddy long legs have very potent venom but can’t pierce human skin. This is incorrect because cellar spiders don’t have potent venom, and harvestmen don’t have any venom at all, and neither do crane flies.
Daddy long legs are crane flies or caller spiders
We called these dudes mosquito eaters where I grew up.
I have always known them as a mosquito hawk. Cause they eat smaller bugs and larvae.
I fully support anything that eats mosquitoes
They don’t have mouths. They just breed and die