Why daddy long legs are currently invading your home - and why you shouldn't kill them
13.09.2023 - 13:25
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
If you've spotted some unwelcome creatures in your home in recent weeks, you're not alone. Spider season has crept back around - just like the long-legged insects you find in your property.
Daddy long legs, also known as crane flies, might give people a scare, but experts are warning that you shouldn't kill them. Karl Curtis, director of reserves and community engagement at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, previously told CoventryLive that they normally emerge in warmer weather, something we have seen of late.
"They are out this time of year because basically, they are hatching out of our lawns and various places - they live a lot of their lives underground as a grub, as a larva, and then what they do is they hatch out over the summer," he said. "Probably now is the last throw of the dice, and what they do is they come out and looking to mate, lay eggs back into vegetation and then they die off."
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As the weeks wear on, many of us will be dealing with the pesky creatures - but we shouldn't kill them. Instead, the good old 'glass and piece of paper' method can be used to humanely put them back outside. While trying to catch them in the glass, guide them towards light before releasing them into the garden.
Karl said: of the daddy long legs: "They often get confused with spiders but they're not, they're flies. They're really good food source for birds, they're really important to play their part so people should let them out their windows and not kill them."
He added that using fly sprays is not the answer, as they are bad for the environment and other living things, and should be avoided. Karl also stressed that crane flies are in