San Diego

Wet Winter Makes for Perfect Breeding Conditions for Crane Flies

They're called Mosquito Hawks, Daddy Long Legs with Wings and even Mosquitoes on Steroids.

But their actual name are Crane Flies.

These interesting and kind of scary looking insects have been flying all over San Diego County recently.

The reason?

According to San Diego County's Supervising Vector Entomologist, Chris Conlan, it's because of the heavy rains the county had during the winter.

The moist conditions make for perfect breeding ground, he said. Once the weather starts to dry up in the spring, the Crane Flies come out an play in droves.

"They don't bite people or even animals," Conlan told NBC 7. "One of the big differences between mosquitoes and crane flies, is that mosquitoes fly around people to try and bite them. Crane Flies just mind their own business."

The insects are about the size of a dime. They're attracted to light and to moist conditions.

What they do best is breed and lay larvae.

Conlan said the flies have a very short life span. They can be flying inside a home one day, and be dead on the floor the next.

He added that a common misconception is that these flies eat mosquitoes.

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