The life cycle of the Crane Fly is one of the least studied of all the members of the order Insecta. Females lay their eggs in the fall, and the larva, known as leatherjackets, grow during the cold winter months. Leatherjackets feed on the roots of turf grass in a manner very similar to grubs, and are capable of doing significant damage if not properly controlled. In mid summer, when it is warm and humid, (conditions similar to what we have experienced the past few weeks) Crane Flies emerge from the ground to breed.
Unlike their common name would suggest, Crane flies do not eat mosquitoes, but actually feed off of nectar. As a point of fact, many adult Crane Flies do not even have mouthparts and live only long enough to reproduce before dying. And while females have an ovipositor that is stinger-like in appearance, crane flies are virtually harmless.