# Crane fly eggs



## OGIGA

I just caught a crane fly outside and fed it to my mantis. While being eaten, the crane fly laid a whole bunch of eggs! They look like tiny black grains of rice (long grain). Anyone have experience with dealing with crane fly eggs?


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## ABbuggin

I dont have any experiance with them but I know they are aquatic.

AB


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## OGIGA

That kinda helps. It might be too late now since I didn't keep the eggs in the water.


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## infinity

wait wait, crane flies aren't aquatic... if we're talking about the same things - those large thin-legged flies that you see on wet humid days that guys like to scare girls with (Tipulidae), the larvae are root feeders... in theory (haven't tried this) - sticking them in soil with a potato or some other root vegetable should grow them... but they take a while to mature...


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## ABbuggin

I think we are talking aobut hte same thing maybe different sp. (I am in the US and you are in England) But I am positive the cranefly larvae I have caught were aquatic because they were sliding around on the bottom of the river...they look like giant fly maggots and are bottome feeders/predatos And they do take a long tome to mature...I think a couple of years!

AB


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## ABbuggin

One more thing Ogiga...you are probably still fine if you put them in water...just make shure it is distilled.  It may take them a little bit to hatch but I really dont know...google it.  

AB


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## OGIGA

Hmm, well, the crane fly looked like this one:







Anyway, I'm just going to leave the eggs where the crane fly left them. If they hatch, that would be pretty cool.


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## ABbuggin

Yeah thats the kind I am talking about....their larva stage is at the bottom of fresh water (not poluted...they are easily affected by polution) streams.

Anyway good luck and keep us posted.  

AB


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## Chrome

why the would you want to breed them?! I HATE THEM! Our hose gets full of them in the Autum and my Husky loves to chase them but they are just everywhere!

Im going to have a fat mantis in Autum.


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## skinnylegs

in my garden i have seen the larva emerge from th ground.


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## OGIGA

I just gave my mantis another crane fly yesterday and it was filled with eggs! This time, I took the crane fly away from the mantis (after most of it was eaten) and got the eggs in the water. We'll see how it goes.


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## Johnald Chaffinch

i saw a large house spider do a really cool jump into the air to catch a crane fly. then it proceeded to snip all of it's legs off and then dragged the body into a hiding place :S

pics i got here:

doing the snipping:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c41/john...SPYHOSTAGE1.jpg

dragging away:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c41/john...SPYHOSTAGE2.jpg


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## OGIGA

Amazing! Glad you got pictures of it.


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## OGIGA

> Yeah thats the kind I am talking about....their larva stage is at the bottom of fresh water (not poluted...they are easily affected by polution) streams.Anyway good luck and keep us posted.


It looks like there has been absolutely no activity and it's been a month. I guess no baby crane flies to play with.


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## ABbuggin

Well just keep them in the water for a little longer...you never know. If you want the larva try looking in streams...especially ones with silt.


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## AFK

i don't know what's creepier - spiders or crane flies lol. something about their grossly long skinny legs just gives me the bejeebies :lol:


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## OGIGA

It makes me want to pull them out. :twisted:


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## critterguy

I think many species grow in wet soil also.


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## hibiscusmile

I had no idea this is where they are from, i have a lake outside, what do i look for in the water if i can get down that close to it?


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

Try the underside of leaves, or reeds that are partly submerged..

Maybe its a kinda of survival reaction, if they ar going to die they can try to save thier young by releasing them..or maybe it just dropped the eggs..?


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## Birdfly

Hi, Craneflies are usually a seasonal insect, the eggs hatch, usually underground where the larva feeds on roots until large enough to pupate, the adults are usually seen late in the season resting during the day and flying about at night. They have a limited life span as adults [they have no mouth parts and cannot feed] but it is long enough for them to mate and restart the cycle. They cannot bite or sting, the females have a sharp looking ovipositor which is used for reaching as far into the ground as possible for egg laying only. I have never tryed to culture them as i have a large lawn, late in the year i get hundreds of them and use them only as a seasonal alternative to cultured live foods.

Their gangly legs and erratic flight seem to make them irrisistable to other insectivores.

cheers


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## T

Yup craneflys lay eggs in the ground not water, I have personally witnessed them laying.The larvae are referred to as leatherjackets and feed on roots.If you are diging and find what looks like a large maggot that it greenish brown thats one.


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## OGIGA

No wonder the ones I put into water never hatched.


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