I’m having to remove at least two Daddy long legs (Crane fly) from the house every day. If I open the door on an evening, there are always a number of them sleeping on the outside of it. There were a few buzzing around at my parents house in Bradford the other day.
Are we having an invasion? Has anyone else noticed a huge influx of crane fly?
An interesting symptom of this seems to be that spiders, due to their new diet of giant flies, are now growing much larger too. So now we have gianormous spiders skulking around hunting and eating even bigger flies. I fear for the lives of our cats, although they seem to be having fun hunting and catching the flies too.
UPDATE: In addition to Leeds and Bradford, I’ve now had reports of huge flies and spiders in Huddersfield too.
UPDATE: To repell these flies get some Citronella oil apply it around your doors and windows, perhaps dousing some small pieces of cloth. To get rid of ones that have already got in I just recommend catching them in your cupped hands and throwing them outside. If you’d prefer that the ones you miss don’t lay eggs all around your house, get some fly paper to catch those stragglers. Mass killing and torturing of them achieves nothing long term; you’ll just end up in Buddhist hell.
Comments
i agree with Queen DLL, if we do not keep looking at this page and not worship the crane flys they are sure to attack our lawns,forgive my sins Queen DLL, I LOVE YOU! Please respond Queen DLL to Chris.
i cannot release my name due to the fact that the russians are listening to us so lets make this quick, dear liona 198, daddy long legs do not strick humans no matter what,even if you are a russian.if they do strick you than they must not like you very much liona198…..this conversation never happened liona.
L1, nematodes aren’t remotely disgusting – in fact you can’t even seen them. They come in a powder which you mix with water and then spread over the lawn – it’s no different from putting down lawn feed or mosskiller. It’s probably too late for your lawn this year, though: you’ll just have to re-seed the bare patches and hope for the best, and then apply the nematodes in September, after the DLLs have hatched.
With a bit of luck (it took me 3 attempts), you’ll end up next year with a healthy lawn and a house free from the disintegrating flying spiders from hell! Nematodes certainly worked for me – hope they do for you too.
I HATE THEM!! woke up thinkin somone was (rather creepily) stroking my face only to discover it was in fact ONE OF THEM!! waa!! even lookin at a picture of them gives me the creeps and i spend the entire month of september running out of rooms screaming for one of my brave sisters to ‘KILL IT’. they are just ridiculous!!
Oh noooooo!!! They are back already! I saw one whilst in the train station in Bradford and then another when back home in Ireland!
They don’t usually appear until about July/August and it’s only April!
Do we prepare for another invasion???
I think I may go and emigrate to Iceland or somewhere nice and cold!
Someone has to pay for this – it’s only April and I’ve just had to spend the last hour and a half psyching myself up to go and kill the little b***er I’ve locked in my kitchen! Thank God I found this site, if I hadn’t It’d still be there and I still wouldn’t be able to get anything to eat/drink until my sister gets home!
I am having a problem with flies in my house. I have to kill about six every day. Do you think you can help me?
Yeah, they are around so early this year, I’ve seen several and now there is one sitting on the wall of my office. I don’t know what to do argh! I am petrified of them and of spiders.
I would like to know why they are back so early but I can’t research it because every page I find has a great big picture of the ugly things on there and I just can’t even look at it!
I have the same problem as you Catie (208), I have major problems looking at the pics of them!
Turn your pics off on the internet options and things should be easier.
Apparrantly the DLL’s are killed by wasps and there has been a decrease in waspy numbers the last couple of years so I assume this explains the increase in Dll’s?!
Me thinks I may start breeding wasps or maybe get a few as pets and train them to HUNT!!!!!!
Can anyone tell me the latin name for the Daddy Longlegs please.
Thanks
Sue
Hi Sue (210) From my internet research I gather the lating name is “Diptera Pediciidae”
From what I gather, the first part refers to insect family and the second the long legged little beggars that scare the s**t out of us!!
I have just had my husband remove and ENORMOUS DLL from the shower, I was just about to step in when I saw it! I can only assume that some sort of genetic experimentation is going on here in Ireland to increase their size!!!!!!
No kidding, it was about 50% of the ‘normal’ size!
One just attacked me in my kitchen!! Ok, so maybe I didn’t see it and disturbed it and it accidentally flew right into my head…. but I personally think it planned the attack!! It’s ENORMOUS! We don’t have evil swarms of them here (thank God!) roughly 1 a day in fact, but I had to look them up just to make sure this WAS a DLL because it’s so bloody BIG!!
The things scare the heck out of me!
Aha, 212…. it may be one a day now but they are sending out spies to suss out the scaredy cats (me included) and then they move in their extended families!!!!!
I really hope that we don’t have the problems with DLL’s that we have had the last 2 years, my nerves can’t cope!
Hi Guys,
You should all be very happy that they are with us. The crane fly larva can only be killed by Lindane a chemical so awful that the European union banned it in 2002 the USA and most of the western world long before that. Lindane causes breast cancer as well as lots and lots of other real nasty stuff. Councils used it to keep the pavements clear as well as football pitches and green park spaces right up to the ban. Since 2002 you are right to see an increase in daddy long legs, it means that they are recovering after being zapped for so many years by such a deadly poison, it will be ok once their predators also recover. So when you see a daddy long legs be happy, we may also see a reduction in the next ten or twenty years of breast cancer. The shit we do to this planet and you guys don’t know, so don’t be scared of ddl’s be scared of the shit you don’t know.
I see where you are coming from here ‘214’ and I totally agree with the discontinuation of these dangerous chemicals. I myself run a chemical free home.
But, no dressing up of this issue can change a person who is phobic about the dangly cretins into someone who is pleased to see DLL’s!!
I think in my case as in quite a few others on this site, it is a really bad phobia with DDL’s and we probably all would be happy never to see one ever again!
As for killing the larvae, I suppose you could always use the method I use on woodworm, by sticking a needle through them! oh, that is too cruel isn’t it? :-)
Me and my m8 Ben got 1 called kombib he it a very lively 1 he looks like he having so much fun in my glass i going to make him a nice home to live :D i will take care of him for ever and ever
unfortunately kombib seems to be struggling for oxygen in the glass and appears too be dying at an alarming rate, does anyone know how we can save kombib? thank you for your support. kind regards
please help i dont whont to lose him please someone i dont no what to do please i do anything just help him he looks so ill please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HELP KOMBIB IS DIEIN WHAT DO WE DOOOO!!!!! =( IM VERY CONCERNED!!!!
There’s not many of them at my house right now (know wood) luckily, probably will be though, its just mid june…But… theres some, and theyre huge and theyre in my room and i dont want to sleep because they will molest me while im sleeping! I hate them!
knock**
when i was four, i was on the toilet and a huge ugly daddy longleg (which is actualy a crane if they fly) came and landed on my knee. then i screemed and cried and it flew off and landed on the door trapping me inside! luckaly my parents were just down the hall and they killed it for me. but ever since then ive been deathly afraid of them i cant even sleep in my own room. i hide in the storage room in the summers with my door closed. infact at this very moment im hiding. if anyone opens the door thier dead.
I’m so glad theres so many other people that are terrified of these things. Personally, i can’t stand to be in the same room as one, i’d rather be locked in a room with a dozen tarantulas than one single DLL. And i have arachnaphobia! They’re so abnormal…they fly rather oddly. And those legs are horrid. >.
>.
sorry…this thing keeps messing up.
I force my Dad to get them out of the room. He takes great amusement in either removing their legs, then throwing them, or their wings…and again throwing them. That’s probably why we end up having dozens of them in the house a day, just to get us back. I read about that citronella thing. I am definitely going to try it. Anything to stop those foul creatures from getting into our house. I’m 17 by the way. Haha.
I have heard the daddy long legs is poisonus, is this true?
I am SO glad I found this site! I can’t believe I am not alone in my irrational terror! Wanted to share some thoughts..
1) I recently moved to Los Angeles for work. I actually thought when I first got here “great! at least i won’t have to spend the whole month of September on complete tenterhooks, jumping a mile every time I catch something moving in the air out of the corner of my eye”. But no! They are here too! And all year round! So the great weather and outdoor lifestyle is tainted by the constant fear of having the windows open in the evening! They seem to come in waves but there is no ‘season’ for them here. God they are horrible.
2) Why do they hide? I remember when i was growing up in England I would get my dad or brothers to come and get them out of my bedroom, I couldnt go to sleep if there was one in the room. But when they arrived the buggers would disppear, sometimes for hours. My dad would just give up and say I had imagined it. Then just when i had regained my confidence and started to forget about them one would fly right at me from nowhere, sounds silly but it was so traumatising.
3) I spent years being to squeamish to kill them (but I had to get over myself and start living a bit) but now i whack them with a tea towell or a broom. Thing is, they seem to fake dead and lie there for a bit just until you think you’re safe, and the next thing you know they are up and adam and flying around the lampshade like they’d never been better!
4) i have been to hypnotists twice. I came out feeling cured both times but the next time one flew at me out of nowhere I was so shocked I went straight back to that clammy-palmed fast heartbeat state, like i was being attacked by a tiger. its so debilitating.
5) I once thought one was in my car and i tried to get out while i was still driving. Potentially fatal. If anybody here has managed to overcome this ridicculous fear please fill me in, its going to kill me!
Thanks for letting me get all this off my chest. I see the site is quiet… must mean a british summer free of “longers” as my brother calls them. long may it last! c
Thanks for this John Leach, it seems you’ve started something quite huge…It’s good to see that being terrified or annoyed by Daddy Long Legs’ doesn’t also equate to no personality as was my irrational fear.
I had an epic battle (as my brother asked on the telephone ‘Was it Lord of the Rings 1,2 or 3 epic?’…a few nights ago and also ended here as a result of google.
The reason why I am posting is to ask if anyone knows if DDL disintegrate when you have squashed them under 3 bath towels, a jacket and cowboy boots?
I managed to kill the thing..or so I thought when it crawled out from the jacket and tried to fly upwards again. I slammed the door in panic but when I went back in there was no trace left of it. As the fearful will know, this is quite disturbing so if anyone could help, just for future reference I’d be really grateful…
Thanks.
PS. Lol Chloe
Oh god, I have a major phobia of Dlls. I think I was always afraid of them but what caused me to fear them more than spiders (and I am already very scared of spiders) is probably when I was in primary school and some horrible girl tried to shove a live one in my face.
It’s that lovely time of year again, I found my first two Dlls last night. Luckily neither was in my bedroom. Ufortunatly I live at home with my mum and stepdad who will make fun of me if I scream. They refuse to remove them for me because they think I am being silly and they tell me to get a cup and remove them myself. Unfortunatly, I can only *just* about manage this with spiders. I am far too scared to get close enough to a Dll to catch it with a cup.
Now, I am currently barricaded in my room which has none in so far. I am afraid to open my window so my room is really stuffy and it’s embarassing as my best friend is staying over tonight and I don’t want my room to be gross. I think that what scares me is the way they fly with their big long legs wobbling around and always seem to aim for you (especially your face).
Please, someone, help! I have a policy of not killing any insects unless they suck blood. I can’t smash them and I am too afraid to come close enough to them to catch them. Is there anything I can buy from a supermarket that will repel them before I get about 10 in my room? I saw that citronella oil was advised but I have no idea where to buy that and I need something quick! I have no car (I’m 18 and can’t afford the lessons yet) and my family will not drive me just to buy something to repel Dlls. Is there anything I can do?
I hate dragon flies, and aparantly (while doing my homework) I found out that if you touch a daddy long legs it could kill you. Probably not true but anyway! There are loads of these dragon flies/daddy long legs/crane flies (what ever ya call em) Have you noticed that the first comment on this page was in 2005 and the person said that it’s 2 a day. I find 8 to 20 a day in my house and you know how cold it gets in the UK so what could possibly be actracting them?! If you know please post another comment. :)
My mum said she heard on the news we’re due for an influx this year. So what last year wasn’t an influx!?? Wtf?! DLL are the only thing I’ve really got a problem with. I found this site looking for a way to overcome my phobia as I have a child now, and I don’t want him being petrified of them. My neighbours must think I’m mad, I found one in my house when I got home today and screamed and screamed and caused my little boy to cry which is why i KNOW i have to do something about it. I tried to spray it with hairspray to paralyse it, then got the hoover.
Rosie – show your friend this site to prove you’re not being silly, lots of people have irrational phobias of DLLs. I had my doors and windows shut last year when I had a party and my mates well took the p**s. Just get some air freshener so you’re room’s not too smelly!!
Daddy Long Legs are just flies. Crane Flies to be precise. They have no venom at all and they have no biting parts or stings. The “pointy bit” on some is the ovipositor of the female. This is used to lay eggs, normally under your lawn or, if your lucky enough to live in such a place, in your roof thatch. The larvae are known as “Leatherjackets” and aren’t very popular with gardeners due to the damage they cause to lawns. In short they are harmless, just scoop them up and throw them out. Then catch the ones that came in while you were throwing their mate out.
i jus moved into uni and theres one in my bathroom i cant use the loo n im too scared 2 go near it to kill it ahhh help me!!
Well for those of you that have asked the question do cranefly/DLL bite and pierce the skin, please have a look at my bit on no29, after my incident i had to go to the doctors as my leg had a really dull ache whenever i walked for a good few days, i ended up with an antibiotic and the doctor said he has known cranefly to pierce the skin and cause a nasty sting, i have since found a study on the internet where a man from animal planet got bitten by one, so there you have it!
Again, these creatures are not capable of biting or stinging. Don’t know what Tracey was “bitten” by, but it certainly was not a Cranefly. As for online studies by Animal Planet which study, when, where, who? I’m sure all the entomologists in the world would love to know how an insect with no biting parts, stings or venom could possibly cause injury, other than poking you in the eye with one of their ludicrously gangly legs. They are harmless, stop your flapping.
More info:
http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th6g.htm
http://www.wildinbritain.co.uk/Ponds/CRANEFLIESs.htm
http://www.anxietycare.org.uk/docs/insect.asp?view=print (Pay particular attention to section 2 on Craneflies, about half way down the page)
Hope this helps to clear things up. Now settle down, children.
For those of you who are afraid of “Daddy Longlegs”, this may clear things up.
http://www.anxietycare.org.uk/docs/insect.asp?view=print
Take a look at the section on Craneflies, about half way down the page.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one scared sh#tless of DLL’s!! Had to hoover 5 from the landing the other night, closed the windows feeling smug at getting rid of em, only to find TWO MORE doing the one legged hanging trick in my loo the next morning! How do they get in?? Its like they can smell the fear…..
Stop killing my children!
I don’t see these much, unless they are dead! But I am sure they’ll be back for more in further year! I hate them so much! Oh, and you won’t believe me, today I found a black widow! People say they are common.. what do you think?
Well, last Wednesday I saw my first one of the season and have seen 2 more since and it’s only April!
Has anyone ever had any therapy for the fear of these horrid things?
I think I may have to look into some sort of hypnotherapy as I am terrified!!!
i hate them too, horrible waste of body parts. that whirring clicking thing…arg. My cat though likes them, mind you she’d eat anything.
I’m sorry to say but I live in Australia, the flys do look pretty cool though :)
my dog loves to snap at flys, but I don’t know what my kittens are like
this website is cool, I might visit more often
do these flys bite?
Reading what Jesus Christ says they must be pretty dangerous
Well so fed up with these things and they have been increasing in Cornwall to. They are everywhere and sort of creep upon us. How do you get rid of them, never realised they were such a problem until I arrived at this site by typing daddy long legs, thought it was just us. What the hell do they feed on, if I know I will get rid of it and starve them out of the house THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. Yuk!
I have seen my first flying DLL tonight. I immediately got my partner in to get rid of it but a few hours later, literally minutes after my partner left the flat it re-appeared, to my horror!.. It was flying round like a lunatic so I composed myself and tried to swat it, but I was too slow and it flew off.. so I ran into the room, grabbed my phone and barracaded myself in the bedroom, I’m not coming out until my partner gets back and squashes it!. I’m glad I’m not the only one out there scared of them, they make my skin crawl. Its the way they always swoop down on you and them awful long legs. Alot of people think I’m silly, but I can’t help the way I feel. Roll on winter..
We have these in New Brunswick, Canada too! They started about two days ago, and I’ve only seen a few so far, but I am not exagerating when I say in less than two days we will have THOUSANDS of these things in the backyard! I scream like a girl when one gets in the house!
Last year when I let the dog out, he got tangled and I had to go into the yard to untie him. When I did, hundreds of these crane flies came at me from the grass. Now I have nightmares about these things because they are EVERYWHERE!
So…..I love my dog, but if he gets tangled in the next two weeks out there, it’s ‘see ya in a couple of weeks buddy!’ because I am NOT going out there to untie him! LOL. I need to try some sort of remedy next year because I can’t take it anymore having thousands of these covering the sides of my house, windows and lawn! I’m a prisoner in my own home every year at this time! I know I am overly dramatic, but ew, they are HUGE!
They always reside in the corner of the wall in my shower. am petrified of the things.