Tracey Smith has been our main Terminix technician for several years. She is thorough, friendly and takes the time to talk to us about what she is doing if we are home. I have found her to be a very pleasant person and we are glad that she takes care of us. She is an excellent representative. She is extremely professional, and she is one of the reasons why we continue to use Terminix for both our termite inspections and monthly insect applications. She is the type of person that gives your company a good name!
Dobsonfly
Dobsonfly
Attribution: Didier Descouens, [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Characteristics
Size:
Up to 3 inches
Color:
Light brown
Behavior:
Dobsonflies are important aquatic insects that live in fast moving streams. The adults are one of the largest insects in the U.S., and the males have large mandibles up to 1-inch or more in length. The males look frightening but are harmless. Adults are attracted to outdoor lights on buildings near waterways thereby prompting curiosity and concern by homeowners discovering one or more dobsonflies on the porch or deck. Dobsonflies, however, are not dangerous and do not bite.
Habitats
The larvae, also called hellgrammites, live under stones at the bottom of streams. They are prized as fish bait, especially among fly fishermen.
Tips for Control
No control measures are necessary when a dobsonfly is discovered outside a home or other building. It is simply a wayward insect attracted to the lights. You can simply move it to a nearby shrub in the shade where it will likely resume its journey come darkness.
Family Name:
Corydalus cornutus
