Do crane flies bite?

According to Virginia's Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), crane flies do not bite. In fact, the Galveston County Master Gardener Association indicates that adult crane flies typically do not eat anything during the few days that they are alive.

The FCPS states that adult crane flies focus on reproduction. After mating, females lay eggs in water or damp soil, where they hatch into larvae. Depending upon where the eggs were deposited, the larvae live at the bottom of a body of water, in mud or in moss. They feed on decaying vegetation. Larvae develop into pupae, which typically spend the winter changing into adult crane flies. The adult insects are often mistaken for very large mosquitoes.