# Crane Flies



## ellroy (Sep 8, 2005)

Hi Guys,

Crane flies seem to be everywhere at the moment (in the UK that is) and my mantids are happily munching on them. Anyone else making use of them?

Alan


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## infinity (Sep 8, 2005)

yeah, u bet! my PWs love them- aspecially since the CFs are active fliers and it gives them a chance to look up instead of down... I'd assume that the best ones would be the females with the poibty abdomens- as they're most likely gravid... They deserve it really... they're noisy fliers and often end up in my bedroom at night so...


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## ellroy (Sep 8, 2005)

Yes when you think about it we are doing a service to the community!


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## Jwonni (Sep 8, 2005)

are CF's the daddy longlegs?


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## ellroy (Sep 8, 2005)

Yes thats the ones....not much meat on them but my mantis seems to like the legs!


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## chun (Sep 8, 2005)

i hate them so much, they fly around clumsily like a drunken irishman. Everytime one runs into my head, i catch it and set it on fire.


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## Jwonni (Sep 8, 2005)

OMG no more insects for that man :lol:


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## ellroy (Sep 8, 2005)

Did you have a horrific crane fly incident as a child chun?!?!?!?!?!?


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## Leah (Sep 8, 2005)

> are CF's the daddy longlegs?


Daddy longlegs are spider-like insects (I believe they are not true arachnids) that do not fly. What we call crane flies are those huge mosquito looking things "Mosquito eaters."


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## infinity (Sep 8, 2005)

there are three words being tossed around here... I know in england we refer to CFs as daddy long legs but some people also *might* call harvestmen the same thing- they're those things with equally long and delicate legs radiating out from a body that's round and about chick-pea sized...

but yeah, I just fed my PW another one and it actually stopped eating the cricket and went for the CF


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## Jwonni (Sep 8, 2005)

> Daddy longlegs are spider-like insects (I believe they are not true arachnids) that do not fly. What we call crane flies are those huge mosquito looking things "Mosquito eaters."


Well OMG you learn something new every day i have been wrong for 21 years (but so has everyone else i know) so daddylonglegs are the ones with wings that look like weak fragile spiders real long legs and a tiny round ball as a body

and what everyone calls daddy long legs are just crane flies


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## Rick (Sep 8, 2005)

I have never heard of a crane fly but daddy long legs are the little round spider looking things with the very long legs. Never seen a daddy long legs with wings though.


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## Ian (Sep 8, 2005)

ugh, daddy long legs, we get huge SWARMS of them, they are so irritating!

Cheers,

Ian


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## infinity (Sep 8, 2005)

Tipulidae oleracea are the craneflies/ daddy long legs (UK)

http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th6g.htm

Opiliones sp. are the harvestmen (UK) and daddy long legs (US)

http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/Opil...s/Opiliones.htm


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## chun (Sep 8, 2005)

> Did you have a horrific crane fly incident as a child chun?!?!?!?!?!?


Not really, when the same daddy long leg hits you on the head 5 times in a row in the same hour, it does get a tad bit irritating. i just got so fed up and roasted it with my lighter. i wasn't in a very good mood at the time (don't mess with me on a bad mood, i might set your house on fire   )


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## Rick (Sep 8, 2005)

> Tipulidae oleracea are the craneflies/ daddy long legs (UK) http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th6g.htm
> 
> Opiliones sp. are the harvestmen (UK) and daddy long legs (US)
> 
> http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/Opil...s/Opiliones.htm


We always call those harvestmen daddy long legs.


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## PseudoDave (Sep 8, 2005)

yeah mine like em...


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## Johnald Chaffinch (Sep 15, 2005)

i heard a few months ago that those harvestmen daddy long legs are poisonous to eat, i dont know this for a fact though...


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## Ian (Sep 16, 2005)

we have had an absolute major hatch out of them over here....there are just hundreds of the plastered over every wall imaginable, and squased all over roads and pathways...its immense!!

Cheers,

Ian


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