# Crane flies galore...



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

I put down Bayer Complete Insect Killer on June 1st which is the same thing I did last year and it controlled everything pest wise. I just applied some Milorganite this week and now my lawns infested by Crane flies. Should I do another insect app if I already did one in June? Or will they go away once the Milo is in the soil longer?

Thanks!


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

MarkAguglia said:


> Should I do another insect app if I already did one in June? Or will they go away once the Milo is in the soil longer?
> 
> Thanks!


Crane flies are pretty harmless. Adults don't eat anything (mainly drink dew/nectar) so I don't think it's the Milo. Adults only live for a few days. Larvae are found in water not soil. Adding more insecticide to lawn will not "prevent" more from hatching.


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## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

Dawgvet said:


> MarkAguglia said:
> 
> 
> > Should I do another insect app if I already did one in June? Or will they go away once the Milo is in the soil longer?
> ...


Thanks!! Within a couple days they've now actually disappeared. They were everywhere!


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

It was probably a 'hatch" . The larvae all hatch into adults within a short period of time to reproduce and then just die. 
Trout fisherman look forward to such hatches with Damselflies, Mayflies, Caddis, etc. (not crane flies though)
Is there a water source nearby (stream/lake/golf course pond)?


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## Wjc129 (Aug 24, 2019)

I have the same issue, in the past couple days they have been coming out of my lawn like crazy. I have heard the same thing that they basically come out, reproduce, lay eggs and then die. I have also heard that those eggs turn into larvae which through the winter into spring munch on the grass roots. I have encountered some lawn damage because of this myself. I have had issues with them the past 2-3 years. I cannot get rid of them. I have done fall and spring applications of Bayer Complete Insect Killer and in the spring this year did a Grubex app which also claims to control the larvae. Nothing I have done has worked. I need help as well. It is a couple week window where they are a nuisance and when you walk through the lawn they fly up at you.


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

I will have to apologize for misinformation I gave earlier. After more research, I found that there are a couple species of crane fly that can have larva in moist ground environments (leaf litter)



> Crane fly larvae are usually aquatic, living in streams and lakes, but also in moist places such as under leaf litter in ditches and sometimes underground.





> Like mayflies, the winged adult crane flies usually do not eat, and spend their brief time mating and laying eggs. Females lay their eggs either under water or in soil near water. The larvae can take a few months or up to five years developing under water, depending on species. Then they pupate and later emerge as adults. Most crane flies have only one brood a year.


I also found there is an invasive European crane fly in the North East that I wasn't familiar with that can live in lawns.



> HOW TO PREVENT & CONTROL CRANE FLIES
> 
> The European crane fly is an invasive lawn pest that is prevalent in the northwest as well as the northeast. While native species of crane flies live on decaying leaves, this species attacks pastures and lawns. The adults are harmless, but the larvae can damage your lawn. The larvae of the European crane fly are also known as leather jackets.
> 
> ...





> You want to control European Crane Fly larvae when they're most active - usually in early to mid-April


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## Dawgvet (Jul 2, 2019)

Wjc129 said:


> I need help as well. It is a couple week window where they are a nuisance and when you walk through the lawn they fly up at you.


I found This article on control; 
Edit: Link just keeps leading to main page of Turf website. Just do a search for crane flies on the main page and the article will show.
Here is the part about treatment:



> Stahnke's chemical trials of crane fly controls over the years have allowed her to devise three different treatments, one for different times of the year and different larval sizes. It is important, once the presence of crane flies is established, to get in the habit of monitoring them and determining which of the three control methods to use. If the last 45 years are any indication, this will continue to be a long-term problem.
> 
> The first control option takes place during the adults' oviposition phase in the fall. In her location, Stahnke says this is about September 15. There are two interchangeable insecticides that have proven to give 75 percent control of larvae at this point: imidacloprid (Merit) and thiamethoxam (Meridian). These are "least-toxic" formulations that give good control at labeled rates and have a short residual period. Stahnke points out that this treatment will not work if they are used at one of the other time periods. A 75 percent control level works out pretty well, as she calculates that birds eat about 30 percent of the larvae in any case.
> 
> ...


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## grassman123 (Jun 25, 2021)

Hello, im sorry for the post if its not in the correct spot. im new to this site. Im having a problem with lather jackets is there something I can put down chemicals to kill them? ive already tried neamatoeds and grub ex.
thank you so very much


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