Giant mosquito? Mosquito-eater? Nope, it’s a crane fly!

Gig Conaughton

County of San Diego

Communications Office

They look like giant mosquitoes, or daddy-longlegs with wings, and they fly like crazy bumper-car drivers, bouncing off walls, each other, ceilings and light sources.

But they’re nothing to be afraid of, said Chris Conlan, the County’s supervising vector ecologist.

They’re crane flies – also known as “mosquito hawks,” “skeeter-eaters,” and “daddy longlegs.”

Conlan said they’re harmless to people and that this is the time of year you usually spot them in San Diego County, after the rains and as spring temperatures start to warm up. They’r...