The Crane Flies in April

Not the bird. The insect shown below. They are everywhere in April, both inside and outside the house, millions of them. They are harmless and do not bite.

This is the Giant Crane Fly. Swatting and spraying it is completely unnecessary.

The adults fly around erratically with the goal of mating and egg-laying. But the larvae, known as leatherjackets will attack your grass at the roots if the population explodes. I have seen it happen only once and it was a sight to behold. I think that was the last El Nino year – they liked the moisture. Avoid using pesticides though – the birds and a cold snap will usually kill them off effectively. If you want to know what the leatherjackets look like, try Wikipedia.