Some of you may ask, what’s a crane fly? Well, a crane fly is any member of the dipteran superfamily Tipuloidea, which contains the living families Cylindrotomidae, Limoniidae, Pediciidae and Tipulidae, as well as several extinct families. (If you are able to pronounce any of those names you win a bag of Dove’s Dark chocolates and a Mars bar!!) Aren’t you glad you asked? But wait I’ve got more information to share. An adult crane fly, resembles an oversized male mosquito, typically has a slender body and long, stilt-like legs (and no feet) that are deciduous, easily coming off the body. When they say oversized I mean this one was two inches across. Adults have a lifespan of 10–15 days (which leaves almost no time for any sort of life). The adult female usually contains mature eggs as she emerges from her pupa, and often mates immediately if a male is available. (Okay guys, time to show up! Ya ain’t got much time.) Some members of the tipulid genus Tipula, such as the European crane fly, Tipula paludosa and the marsh crane fly T. oleracea are agricultural pests in Europe. The larvae of these species live in the top layers of soil where they feed on the roots, root hairs, crown, and sometimes the leaves of crops, stunting their growth or killing the plants. They are pests on a wide variety of plants (And they can do this in a very short time.)
And yes there is more. There is an enduring urban legend that crane flies are the most venomous insects in the world; however, they have neither venom nor the ability to bite. The myth probably arose due to their being confused with the cellar spider as they are also informally called “daddy longlegs”. Despite widely held beliefs that adult crane flies (or “mosquito hawks”) prey on mosquito populations, the adult crane fly is anatomically incapable of killing or consuming other insects. Although the adults of some species may feed on nectar, the adults of many species have such short lifespans that they do not eat at all. Now, I know you’re glad you asked!!
All information was gathered from Wikipedia.