Talk:Crane fly
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[edit] Diet?
Do they eat other insects at all? Kent Wang 14:29, 28 August 2005 (UTC)
- I've always heard these called "mosquito hawks" (as mentioned in the article) due to their favorite food being mosquitoes. Parents will yell at kids not to kill them, because they aren't mosquitoes, and will eat the mosquitoes that do come around. Now, I know small misconceptions and myths like that happen, but I just want confirmation that it isn't true. - VirgilOrion 13:25, April 4, 2006 (UTC)
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- I was told that myself. That "mosquito hawks" eat mosquitoes. Nowadays, I'm being told they don't eat mosquitoes. Due to that, I call them craneflies. 67.188.172.165 19:38, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
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- Dragonflies are also called "mosquito hawks" and they DO EAT mosquitoes. I'm not sure why crane flies are called mosquito hawks, I called them that as a kid too, and thought that they must eat mosquitoes. They must just be called that because they look like big mosquitoes. Or maybe it was a confusion related to the nickname of dragonflies.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.216.194.53 (talk • contribs) 00:42, October 1, 2006
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- Then the article should say that, since i was wondering too.Youdontsmellbad (talk) 10:43, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
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[edit] Poor fliers
"Unlike mosquitoes, crane flies are weak and poor fliers", surely this is in error? Mosquitoes are also poor fliers - in some cases simply blowing at them can be enough to knock them out of the air.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.96.112.148 (talk • contribs) 16:28, September 27, 2005
- Have you ever seen a crane fly? It's a wonder they still exist. They can just barely move. It's silly to even compare their ability to fly to the ability of a mosquito -- they're that much worse.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.216.194.53 (talk • contribs) 00:37, October 1, 2006
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- changed it. it now says "unlike other flies." it previously contradicted the other article. mosquitoes can't fly straight around a fan. that's pretty bad.Youdontsmellbad (talk) 10:42, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Confused opening paragraph
I deleted the following as being problematic:
"The family is also one of three unrelated arthropods sometimes called Daddy long-legs; the other two are the harvestmen and vibrating, cellar or house spider. As such, crane flies are wrapped up in the myth of being the most poisonous spider, but unable to bite humans. This is incorrect: they are clearly insects rather than spiders, as they possess only six legs rather than the arachnid eight, have wings, and do not bite humans. They drink only water when young and do not usually feed at all when they are adult, as they only live for a few days to mate."
The point about it not being a spider is over-laboured and not really necessary to begin with, and discussion of a total (and to my knowledge not particularly prevalent) myth doesn't belong in an opening paragraph. The statement about its lifespan contradicts another part of the article, which gives a lifespan of a minimum of 6 weeks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kisch (talk • contribs) 16:52, April 12, 2006
- I reckon it should be in there because it is quite a prevalent myth, it could go in a bit later though. And delete the bit about the lifespan.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.130.156.129 (talk • contribs) 14:11, May 15, 2006
[edit] Facts about life cycles
Before I edited the page, it stated that the life cycles are from 6 weeks to 4 years. However, I have found information about these cycles being as much as 6 years (http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/tipulidae.html), but I have been unable to find information about species with 6 week cycles. I will continue to look for sources and update information as I have time. - Raztus 05:27, 3 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Do they eat?
"Adult crane flies feed on nectar or not at all"
Do they really eat nothing? That doesn't seem right...—Preceding unsigned comment added by Brian1711 (talk • contribs) 19:00, June 8, 2006
- it's true. they eat nothing and live only to mate, and usually die in around three days.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.124.237.127 (talk • contribs) 02:07, August 14, 2006
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- Are you sure they only live for three days? I thought they lived for a week at least? --Gerrado 16:54, 1 September 2006 (UTC)
The Adults often don't eat. Most of their lifespan is spent as larvae underground (or in water). Once adults, they only live long enough to breed. then they die. Many insects do this, including the cicada, stone fly, and may fly. Butterflies and the like are exceptions in that they live for a significant period after they metamorphose. Sidenote; what are the grasping mouthparts for? Before finding out that Mosquito Hawks (Crane Flies) don't eat Mosquitos, I hypothesized that they used them to grab mosquitos while mouth parts ate them. Since this isn't true, I'm curious as to what purpose they serve. They can't be used in mating either, for Crane Flies mate end-to-end, facing away from each other. I saw an example of this yesterday, they were there for almost 2 days. Then someone disturbed them; oddly, they didn't detach, and thus flew very clumsily as both insects were flapping their wings.--75.48.35.215 (talk) 14:54, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
- Just a reminder that this page is for discussing changes and improvements to the article and isn't for a general discussion of the topic. If you can back up any of the above info with citations to reliable sources, and it's missing from the article, please do include it there! Katr67 (talk) 19:04, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Yahoo Survey
I'm reading that a recent Yahoo survey showed that the creature is the second most feared among the British population. Source? 惑乱 分からん 23:26, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
- I second this request, I've found a page that says that the survey was performed, but have been unable to locate the results of the actual survey. I think this is the sort of thing that needs to be sourced. 81.178.113.74 23:20, 22 August 2006 (UTC)
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- Although it does need a source, I can imagine it being correct; these things are terrifying. Vitriol 17:19, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
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- the survey mentioned "daddy long legs" which i take to be the spider of that name. Not only is their appearance terrifying (but not enough for the photo to be removed!) but they behave in a lunatic way bouncing off walls - why cant they keep still?-what causes them to behave like this tali 12 sep06—Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.46.159.162 (talk • contribs) 19:47, September 12, 2006
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- I edited to remove the KILLER BOXES!! Vitriol 11:58, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] Shape?
What a curious shape they are! What is the evolutionary advantage of being to long and spindly? Would this be something to do with dispersal?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.249.226.207 (talk • contribs) 13:20, September 14, 2006
- The longs legs are to allow them to land on grass as they are such poor fliers and there legs stop them falling down into the roots of the grass where they would be easy prey for spiders and other predators, and i assume would also have difficulty taking off—Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.141.98.6 (talk • contribs) 19:10, September 24, 2006
[edit] Additional names
These four names that the introductory paragraph mentions, "lollygaggers, gally-nippers, doizabizzlers, gollywhoppers," I did a search for them, and did not come up with crane flies as results. Some of them had no results at all. Is the author sure that these names are used to describe this species?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.95.205.162 (talk • contribs) 07:29, September 15, 2006
- I could not find any regarding these names either, does anyone have any evidence or have we been shamboozled?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.112.92.234 (talk • contribs) 04:27, September 28, 2006
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- I remember reading a book from the school library one time about insects, although it was 12 years ago I have no idea what the book was called but it mentioned some of these names, most notably doizabizzler, which I thought was hilarious. It has stayed with me ever since. Not sure about "skeeter eater" though, sounds like some sort of porn Marge4 04:33, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
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- the names thing really is getting messed up. do we really need that many names? are they all relevant? how many are ones that just a couple of people use? i feel a name cull coming on if there are no serious objections, Although jerry-longlegs IS a name in rather common usage, especially in scotland. I feel this should be added? definitely more common than that of 'lollygaggers'KevinCarmody 14:56, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
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- They are region variations on the name I know a lot of people who refer to them as doizabizzlers. The fact that they have so many names is noticeable in itself, shows what effect these bugs have on people. --yen 01:35, 30 September 2006 (UTC)
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- agreed with the above. the names were helpful to me. - 83.67.132.241 00:54, 4 October 2006 (UTC)
- Surely Daddy Long Legs should be included, since very few people in the UK refer to crane flies as "crane flies"?
- agreed with the above. the names were helpful to me. - 83.67.132.241 00:54, 4 October 2006 (UTC)
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(unindent) Daddy Long Legs is already included--that one isn't a problem. Katr67 (talk) 16:51, 24 December 2007 (UTC)
FYI me and my family have always referred to the adults as leatherjackets, not just the larval stage. Miken32 (talk) 01:57, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Diptera
I changed it to 'Diptera' as someone had put 'Ditpera', sorry, hope that's ok!—Preceding unsigned comment added by Hettie (talk • contribs) 23:28, September 16, 2006
[edit] Poisonous?
- I have always been told that crane flies are one of the most poisonous insects in the world, but for some reason they cant sting/bite humans. But I'm not sure about that. My cat loves to eat them and she is fine. Also i think people are scared of them because the look like flying spiders. and as so many people are scared of spiders...that might be why!
- I remember as a kid at school we used to see who could catch the most! - fun times!
- anyway, if anyone could answer about the poison bit that would be great. thanks.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.9.149.197 (talk • contribs) 11:21, September 18, 2006
[edit] Myths
Hello, good morning. I heard from the playground that daddy long legs, or craneflys have the most poisonous venom known to man, but their teeth can't penetrate skin. It's probably false, but it'd be nice if someone could clarify it. K thx bye. Template:Unisigned2
- there actually is a creature like that but i don't think its the doizabizzler. maybe it is. i don't know. they're bloody crap anyway Marge4 23:24, 22 September 2006 (UTC)
In the UK at least the myth concerns daddy-long-legs (Crane flies) not the spiders. it was expertly satirised in the Ricky Gervais: ( Animals (comedy) show, hysterical. --Brideshead 19:57, 25 March 2007 (UTC)
- this information is bogus, ricky gervais is stupid. also it was on QI about there being an insect with the most poisonous venom but it has no way of using it, it's just like.. stored in a sack for no reason. wee. --Catbeef 17:16, 22 May 2007 (UTC)
There is no bogusness about the fact that in the UK the myth surrounds crane flies not spiders. This has been rubbished by at least two people here, perhaps you are from elsewhere, the fact remains.(kev) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.17.252.237 (talk) 18:10, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
- That's interesting that both the Crane Fly and Daddy Long legs mite have similar myths. In the case of the mite (yes, its a mite; spiders have a different body segmentation), they are poisonous, but its a very mild venom, and their mouthparts are too small to penetrate the skin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.48.35.215 (talk) 15:01, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Life cycles and the length of stages
Although the article mentions the time for the complete life cycle is there any generic information about the individual stages?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.189.72.230 (talk • contribs) 10:08, September 24, 2006
[edit] Additional name removal
I am removing all the additional names for which I cannot find sources. I have no doubt that a couple of those are real nicknames, but we have no proof. Several Google hits reveal lists of names most likely derived from this article. So please discuss any names you might wish to add here, keeping in mind that Wikipedia information needs to be cited and that original research does not count. For example, "gallinipper" is defined in Merriam-Webster, and that's what we mean by a reliable source. Thanks! Katr67 23:04, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Moved this question from the main page
When are crane flies most prevalent and what is the gestation periods from lavae to fly? —Preceding unsigned comment added by JESSICA6 (talk • contribs) 11:40, March 4, 2007
- Crane flies can be found throughout the summer (look especially in moist places or on the shady (cool) side of concrete walls or building foundations), though I would assume that like many other insects, there are seasonal differences between species, in that some species are present in the spring while others are fall species. As for the duration of life cycle - don't know. Jhml 18:20, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Comment on my article restructuring
I have restructured the crane fly article to better make use of headings to divide the information in to useful blocks. Please note that none of the information has been changed/removed, it has simply been reorganized and in a few cases presented in a manner that I think is more reader-friendly. I also wanted to comment on the intro as it is now: typically, info included in the intro should appear in the body of the article as well, which I have done with all but the alternate names, which I believe should remain at the article's beginning so that those using "regional names" for the crane fly can quickly identify the subject. Thanks for your patience with my multiple mini-edits, but I see things to change as I read the article over (and over and over). Jhml 19:05, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Newbie's Quibble!
Re: crane flies eating mosquitos? They do!
Of course, this is just anecdotal, but ONCE I came upon a landed crane fly and it was feeding on a mosquito.
Didn't see the capture, but the scene was my sink, and perhaps like the African watering hole dramas, the prey was attracted to water (mosquito trademark!) then Wham!
Anyway, in the interest of accuracy or as an idea for a science experiment.
72.198.53.222 06:12, 29 July 2007 (UTC)
No they don't. You're making that up, or you saw wrong.
Khargas 20:05, 4 August 2007 (UTC)
They might have seen wrong, but then I have too. I once found a crane fly with a mosquito at the end of its snout outside my condo entrance and was surprised since I had read previously that they don't eat mosquitos and that the mosquito hawk name was either a misnomer or reference to their appearance. I actually was looking up this wikipedia article to see if perhaps what I had read elsewhere was inaccurate. Now I didn't see it actually capture the mosquito, just that it had one attached to its snout, so perhaps it was scavenging moisture or blood off a dead mosquito's body or such? There were a number of dead mosquitos in the immediate area due to spider webs around the porch light. It was pretty strange though, since I've never seen one do that before and didn't think they were predatory.
[edit] Pacific Northwest
The following content from User:71.188.243.5 moved from article page (by —Preceding unsigned comment added by EdC (talk • contribs) 21:38, August 4, 2007:
- (I am no entomologist, and realize that this is not a proper ammendation to Wikipedia, but in the interest of pure reality,and invoking my authority as a lifelong resident from a NW pioneer family, I assert that Crane Flies were unknown in the USA's Pacific Northwest until the mid 1970's. When first occuring they were considered "large " upon achieving a body length of 4 cm. Every succeeding year most have been larger. During the summer of 2006 I found two, in a suburban/rural area 20 miles north of Seattle, that exceeded 10 cm in body length! [To avoid ridicule I choose not to provide actual measurements] If anyone could explain this mechanism of increasing size I would be extremely interested. Also, I suspect that these insects may be approaching some sort of upper size limit. They arrive every summer in a variety of lengths;body lengths of up to 7 cm being common, but the larger, "aircraft carriers" [exceeding 7 cm] do not spend a lot of time flying, unlike their smaller brethren [thank God!]. The climate would seem to be ideal for them here, and natural enemies apparently few.)
- Hi, are you the editor who contacted me on the talk page? Hopefully you've noticed that the talk page is the proper place to conduct discussions such as this. Anyway, despite your somewhat snarky comments about being able to make fun of Wikipedia by leaving the supposedly inaccurate information in the article, I've been doing some research. I'm not an expert on insects either, but I'm thinking that they are measured according to the length of their body. Certainly the wingspan and legspan will be much greater. Now I see above that you are claiming a body length that is much greater than what is stated in the article. The 1.5 inch figure is not cited either, but I suspect that this is an "average" figure. This site cites a length of 1-1 3/8:
- Realize that I'm not calling you a liar, but unless we can find a citation for the increased length, it can't be in the encyclopedia. If we allowed original research, the articles would be rife with anecdotes, urban legends, myths and inaccuracies, and you would be justified in really making fun of the project. I can't believe nobody has studied the phenomenon of the the ever-increasing size of Puget Sound crane flies. There is probably a grant to be had for some grad student to do so. Are we sure we're talking about Holorusia rubiginosa (aka Holorusia grandis)? Or is it another species? Here is a great site about identifying insects, they might have some answers for you. Warning: Not for the squeamish. I need to work on some other stuff right now, but hopefully we can get to the bottom of this. Katr67 (talk) 16:54, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Crane Fly's - we call them Mayflies or May Fly's - Should this be added to the article too?
Having grown up in the Ozarks, there are often times terms that are used irregularly for many things. However, I have heard "mayflies" used for "Crane Fly's" all my life. I have ranged Nebraska and Illinois for stints over 6 months each, but spent most of my life Tennessee and Texas. And until this article, I had never called them anything else. Can/should the article be ammended to add the term? It might help others trying understand what they are.
Thank you, Patrick Taylor
