http://deadmosquito.net/what-is-a-mosquito-eater/

1. What Is A Mosquito Eater?
A mosquito eater, A.K.A. crane fly, mosquito hawk, or daddy long legs, of the Tipulidae family, looks almost similar to a
mosquito, but has longer legs. Because of its name, a mosquito eater is thought to actually consume mosquitoes. It would
have been awesome if they did, but apparently and unfortunately, they do not. Mosquito eaters do not eat mosquitoes. In
fact, they almost do not eat anything because they do not need to. They do feed on nectar on occasion to get the nutrients
they need. At least that is the case when they are in their adult stage. Now, if we observe them in their larval stage, that is
a completely different situation.
Depending on the species and there are at least 4200 of them, of which about 75% had been discovered by Charles Paul
Alexander – they are born on either moist soil or water. While certain species of crane flies are still larvae, there is a slight
possibility that they may eat mosquito larvae. But for the most of them, it is believed that they only consume rotten food,
roots, foliage, and other organic material lying on the ground. This assistance in decomposition makes them important
and beneficial.
Crane flies are most of the time mistaken as daddy long leg spiders, especially when they are just on the wall resting,
with their legs about twice the length of their bodies. Sometimes, you will never determine them as mosquitoes until they
start flying and bouncing off of walls around your room. Their color varies a lot, too. The most common ones are brown,
tan and gray. The rarer colors are red, black, and yellow. They live almost everywhere – from forests to open fields. And
some species are able to adapt to intense weather conditions – some can live in a hot desert and some can take the
coldness of snow. Their only enemies are birds and some other possible predators.
Crane flies were born to mate and mate to give birth. That is basically all that they do. Their lifespan is just long enough
to mate and lay eggs! (How sad is that?) They are not known to be harmful critters. They do not eat mosquitoes, contrary
to what their name implies. They also do not bite humans or animals. There is really no reason to set up traps to kill these
very peaceful insects, unless they are starting to overpopulate your surroundings.
For more information on Mosquito Traps, including other interesting and informative articles and
photos, please click on this link: What Is A Mosquito Eater?