...but it turns out they are baby daddy long legs.
For a few weeks now some miniature flying bugs have been bombarding our patio area and we assumed they were mosquitos, attracted by our water butt. However, today there were hundreds of them flying around, very clumsy and slow. The only things I know that fly like this are daddy long legs and on closer inspection I realised that this is what they are.
They are very small though, so are either babies or a new dwarf species I've never seen before. Although they are harmless and actually quite humourous to watch, the sheer quantity is a little disturbing. When we thought they were mosquitos we were simply going to move the water butt next to the greenhouse instead of the house, but what will be attracting the daddy long legs? Will they be attracted by the water butt too? I assume they have a nest, (if thats what you call their home?) near by, so I am hoping that once they grow up they will fly away to discover the world at large.
Maybe I need to take a course in Pest Management. That way we can defend against the rats, ants, slugs, daddy long legs and other bugs, that will surely soon be attracted by our tasty veg, with professional swiftness.
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3 weeks ago
Had a quick google and am amazed at the huge variety of crane flies - stupidly I had always thought there was just the one! Limoniidae helius looks to be a likely candidate for your dwarf species but I daresay there are many others. The larvae seem to develop in water (like mosquitoes) though the websites I've found so far aren't particularly clear on this. The common 'daddy long legs' larvae (leatherjackets) are found underground - usually under the lawn munching away at grass roots and are a favourite food for starlings. If you see battalions of starlings working their way in orderly lines across your lawn then you can be sure they are 'harvesting' leatherjackets.
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