Yes, I believe what the media is saying--the weather this year is perfect for insects! The other day as I was jogging, I had to run through a cloud of them. (cough, cough) And I have noticed many more crane flies this year--probably dozens to 100 each morning--on my deck--dead. Apparently they were attracted to the lights in the house.
They look like mosquitoes,--huge ones at that--, but at least they do not bite humans. Most crane flies do not eat at all; they only mate and then die. They have six long, slender, fragile legs, but sometimes a leg will be missing--they ARE fragile! According to my favorite field guide,
Kaufman's Field Guide to the Insects of North America, they are in the Order Diptera which includes the flies, bees and wasps. Being true flies (as you can tell by the two word name), they have only one pair of wings. They belong to the family Tipulidae which are often abundant and extremely diverse.
Because of this superabundance of insects, those species that make their living off of them should do pretty well this year also. Many species of spiders, birds, amphibians, bats and others will have an ample food supply.
Still, this does not help me when I'm trying to breathe and jog at the same time! Guess I should keep my mouth shut:)
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