Cheers and thank you to the Terminix employees Charles Wade, Chris Glatuono and Kevin Nolan for responding and taking care of the problem at my home recently. They gave immediate and personal attention to making sure the job was done properly and in a timely manner. Having been a Terminix customer for many years, I will remain a satisfied customer due to their level of service.
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
