Daddy Longlegs

[plebby 1st tourist]

Is it just me, or does everyone else living in service accom suffer a serious Daddy Longlegs invasion this time of year? Yesterday they massed in my room in Sqn strength and attempted to achieve control of the air, probably as a prelude to land invasion by a force of worms, beetles etc. I brought down a Flt Leader (yellow stripes on wings) with a well-aimed bit of "tennis ball" AAA and the invasion was repelled. However, tonight I have returned from the bar to find them amassing outside my window in a "big wing" of 50+. Their tactics continue to develop; kamikaze attacks on my mouth when I'm asleep emerged last night and there is one orbiting the light now at high level, clearly performing some kind of AWACS role. I have written to the PMC to request that not one more tennis ball be sent to the room next door. :uhoh:

I think I'll go to bed now

[Conan the Librarian]

It IS bad at this time of year. Best bet, is not to return from the bar.

Conan

[16 blades]

Not just Daddy Long Legs - although there is a small invasion force of the little feckers in my kitchen right now - but ALL manner of creeping and flying things. RAF quarters are INFESTED - I fight a constant battle with ants, beetles and spiders, and barely a morning goes by without me having to fight through a maze of webs to get to the car, and to clean further of the same off the mirrors.

Might have something to do with the fact that the quarter is falling apart (cracks all over the walls, gaps in ceilings & floors) providing an all-too-inviting environment for the creepy crawlies. Will DHE fork out any money to fix anything?

Will they bollocks! (OFFICIAL answer, believe it or not)

16B

[rej]

Ah the mass infestation of spiders at the secret Wiltshire airbase. Our FQ is walking away (on 8 legs) with the things. I'm sure that DHE breed them so they (the spiders) get ride of the other creepy crawlies that roam too freely around the patch thus saving DHE the efforts of pest control.

As for the daddy-long-legs, they are about the only thing that fly from Lyneham at the moment!

[Talking Radalt]

Int Rep (http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th6g.htm)

:)

[El Mirador]

Yep....married quarters infested.....Our Wolfhound has nightly raids and bounces up walls catching them, getting them nice and soggy and hocking the legs out! Endless fun apart from the fact that 13 stone of dog jumping on you ain't that funny!

[bighedsmallface]

13 stone of dog jumping up at you - reminds me of a night out in Lincoln. Happy days.......:}

[None of the above]

Similar thread running on Jetblast

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=190080

[STANDTO]

not just in Mil establishments. Last night, called into action in both the kid's bedrooms to remove said creatures.

this is another indictment of EEC regulations on pest control. You aren't allowed to own the nasty stuff which did the job anymore, so we all suffer with plagues of the blighters. Don't let them anywhere near your lawn either. the grubs eat away at the roots of your grass and turn it brown.

Those plug in UV zappers are pretty effective. Only downside is if one gets stuck in there it sounds like someone on death row on the electric chair.

[Talking Radalt]

Speaking of nasty parasites who want to invade your MQ.... (http://www.anningtonhomes.co.uk/)

:E

[oldfella]

An excellent pressie. Looks like a small tennis racket but is actually a powered grid. Press the button and swat the flying pests. Very satisfying crack. Don't know where it came from but saw one recently on a gadgets site. Anyone know of any other fun toys for the boys (obviously without advertising).

[Devil's Aardvark 8]

Try the biting midges of the West Coast of Scotland or, EVEN WORSE those of Tentsmuir Forest! Visitors to the Kingdom of Fife will no doubt have been afflicted by the f*%k off huge bite on their leg cause by a tiny little mosquito. As far as I know a daddy long legs doesn't leave a mark. A Tentsmuir mossie leaves its calling card in a huge red blotch. Darned itchy too!

Leuchars, lovely place, big mossies.

[A and C]

Now I know who to blame for these things in my house! they must be escaping from the High Wycombe site and invading my house.

Do any of you have the phone number of the duty officer so that I can ask him to come and take his insects back ?

[FJJP]

I just bought a couple of those tennis racquet thingies for zapping flying bugs - powered by 2 AA batts [don't touch the grid - it gives a helluva belt!]. You press a button to activate, and is supposed to be effective indoors and out [I wasn't about to sit out in the rain yesterday to check it out!]. Cost about £6 from my local garden centre.

I've also heard that chestnuts spread liberally around the room [behind furniture, in the corners, etc], are very effective as a spider deterrent - waiting for the blighters to fall off the trees and then I'll try it. Also supposed to be good against moth grubs in woollen clothing...

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Can vouch for the tennis-bat thingy - was given one as a joke pressie by the M-in-law 2 Christmas' ago and have been trying to get more for the other lads here ever since. Mine has a 2-button "safety-catch" feature to stop little kiddies from doing themselves a very painful nasty. The bats are the only thing that keep the mossies (our portacabins where we spend our lovely 24-hour duty stints are built over stagnant water :hmm: ) at bay - the entertainment value just adds to the appeal.

I believe our Oz cousins might need an explanation re Crane Fly/Daddy Longlegs - their version of the DLL is a much nastier creature altogether.

[orionsbelt]

Typical young RAF approach to this problem. allow the threat to develop then splat it. Instead of catching it in its Larval stage.

Us old boys know that Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents P?ss Poor Performance.

So If You had planned ahead last July /August you could have used
'BCM' (that’s Bug counter measures )
BCMs are part of Natures Natural Defences(NNDs) and are applied from Dispensers fitted to any of your fast pointy things. or in view of your spending restriction 'watering-cans'

The particular BCM can be found by taking a visit to Just Green
www.just-green.com (mods I have no association )
The BCM is known as JUST LEATHER JACKET KILLERS and are tiny Nematodes(the same sort of thing you can catch if you are not careful when down the line!!!!!) that kill the Larval.
Suggest you get you Building Service mob to sort this stuff out.

Cheers ***

[Boogeyboard]

I have it on very good authority (idle bar chat) that the Daddy Long Legs - equipped with a sting or teeth could render a man paralysed in minutes due to the toxin it carries being more powerful than your average venomous snake.

Luckily the little dodgers haven't the weaponry to inflict such damage.

Swat away chaps.

[Days Like These]

Apologies for raining on your parade Boogieboard but that's not actually true (as reliable as bar chat usually is :ok: )

The daddy longl-egs that the person was thinking of is actually a type of spider and nothing to do with the more common fly variety which are not poisonous at all although you're right in that they are unable to bite humans.

The daddy long-legs spider is the one often suggested to be poisonous but whether this is actually true is ambiguous as it's never actually been tested.

Other than that though you were spot on and I've been smarmy enough for now! :E

[BEagle]

Well, we used to have a Siamese cat which loved chasing and eating the stupid things - and it never did her any harm!

[Boogeyboard]

All points duly noted 'Days' and knowledge-base up-dated accordingly.

Oktoberfest tonight - the Mecca for all bar chat. I find the language barrier doesn't matter too much after 6 or 7 beers.

Stand by for further 'Well I never...' offerings if I can remember/navigate my way back to the hotel.

[Pontius Navigator]

They are leather jackets. kill 'em when you find them,

1. Is your turf developing bare spots or thin spots in March, April or May?
2. Do you see the insects commonly known as "Daddy Long Legs", flying near your turf or gathering on walls?
3. Do you see maggots in your turf that are leathery and grey/brown?

If you have seen these symptoms or insects, the European crane fly is probably living in your turf. These pests can appear in grass which has otherwise been free of them.

General Information

The European crane fly, or leather jacket, is an insect that can damage your turf. All insects have several life stages, and they can look very different. For example, the leather jacket is a maggot at one time during the year and a flying insect ("Daddy Long Legs") at another.

As you start to mow your lawn in the spring (March-April), the maggots of the crane fly are feeding on your turf. In general, they stay underground in the day and move up to the turf leaves in the night. They are very sensitive to drying, and do not survive if they are dried out when heated up by the sun. On very cloudy days when the turf is wet, you can see the larvae in the turf. They are about 25mm long and have a grey/brown leathery skin.

They will feed on your turf for several months (March-June) and then migrate into the ground, where they change into a crane fly. The crane flies emerge from the turf and fly about, sometimes gathering in groups on walls near the turf. In fact, they are laying eggs to produce more crane flies. Because the crane fly maggots feed on your turf roots, they can weaken the turf, causing it to grow poorly, thin out, and even die, leaving bare spots.

How do you determine if you have a serious problem with leather jackets?

If your grass is growing poorly or thinning in small patches during the months of March-May, there is a problem with your turf. Check those areas early in the morning when the grass is wet for the presence of the leathery, brown maggots.

Be aware that there are insects other than leather jackets that will damage your turf

If you have a leather jacket problem in your turf, when should you try to control the insects?

The time to control the insects is when they are maggots, not flies. When you see them on the walls or flying about, it is generally ineffective to kill them with insect spray. However, if they do bother you, kill them. Your turf will not be relieved, but you might be! Therefore, when you see damage, and you have identified larvae feeding on your turf in the night or early morning, you should try and control them.

How do you control leather-jackets in your turf?

1. Water your lawn lightly in the evening. Cover it with black polythene sheeting. Bin liners are fine. The larvae will be attracted to the wet, dark surface and won't be aware of the dawn. In the early morning, remove the black polythene sheet. Many of the larvae will be caught on the surface. You can let the birds do the removal job for you or rake them off.

[BEagle]

Or get a hungry Siamese cat!