BYGL Bug Bytes May 8, 2008 APRIL SHOWERS BRING MARCH FLIES
| APRIL SHOWERS BRING MARCH FLIES |
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 Dave Shetlar reported that the March flies (family Bibionidae) had begun their annual habit of swarming and hovering just above healthy turfgrass. Unbeknownst to the casual observer, this annoying behavior is actually an erotic frenzy of anxious males looking for love. When a female flies through the swarm, males crowd around her until one triumphant male grabs her and lands on a leaf to finish the act. The female will then lay a batch of eggs in the ground in organic debris. March flies can be identified partially by their dark color and larger size (about 3/8") and the fact that they tend to rest with their heads pointed downward. Generally, they have small heads, although the males have bigger heads than the females. A dark spot can be seen half way up the front edge of each wing. The larvae are a yellowish-gray white and "worm like" with a dark brown head capsule and spine-like projections on each segment. Although they may be found in the thatch of lawns, they are seldom considered to be damaging to turfgrass. Core aerification can help to decrease the amount of thatch in lawns which in turn may reduce the number of these larvae as well as many other thatch feeding insects. Adults are not harmful and do not require control, in fact they are usually consumed by birds. For more information, see:
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 08 May 2008 19:27 ) | ||||
