Crane fly larvae are part of the natural ecosystem, which means they’re food for some animals and insects like skunks, birds, ground beetles, and fungi. Crane flies can cause significant damage ...

Crane fly larvae, on the other hand, eat roots of grass, decaying wood, seedlings, fungi, algae, and other vegetation. Adult crane flies live only for a very short period of time.

Crane flies may look like large mosquitoes, ... larva, pupa, and adult. Eggs. Female crane flies lay their eggs in moist ground, usually along sources of water but sometimes in over-watered lawns.

Crane flies have four distinct life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. “Crane fly adults that you see flying around are at the final stage of their life cycle," Bogan said.

Spring is prime time for crane flies, also called mosquito hawks. Here's what attracts them to your yard, what they eat and whether they're harmful.

Many of the adult crane flies we’re seeing now, Ravenscraft explained, may have simply been larvae, patiently waiting years for the right conditions to come to light.

A crane fly lands on an Owl's Clover (Orthocarpus densiflorus), April 25, 2023 at Carrizo Plain National Monument during the "Superbloom" wildflower explosion, near Santa Margarita, California.

As larvae, crane flies are fairly protected from the elements and can live for upwards of three years in this stage. As adults, crane flies live for about a week or two.

A crane fly sits on a fence in Tucson, Ariz. on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. ... Crane fly larvae can eat grass crowns and roots but are harmless when they become adults.

Many of the adult crane flies we’re seeing now, Ravenscraft explained, may have simply been larvae, patiently waiting years for the right conditions to come to light.