Midges, Gnats and Crane Flies (Nematocera)

Gnats are the most primitive Diptera. Compared to flies they have longer antennae. They are more slender than flies and usually have much smaller eyes, except for the males of Fever Flies. Gnats are responsible for spreading a number of serious diseases, such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever. The mosquitoes in Western Europe and the USA do not carry any of these diseases, but there are irritating biters among them. Most gnats, such as the green species and the woodgnats, are harmless and will never bite you at all. Some gnats may be seen in large groups, dancing over the pond. Some species even do so in the middle of winter.

Among the flies and mosquitoes in Europe crane-flies are striking, because they are much bigger than the other Diptera flies. The biggest Crane-fly of them all, a tropical species, may reach 7 centimetres (or 2.8"). Crane-flies do not sting people, as a matter of fact most adults don't even eat at all. The larvae of some species however eat grassroots, thus causing brown patches in the lawn or meadows. Farmers and gardeners are not fond of these larvae, better known as leather-jackets, at all. Luckily some species of birds, especially the Rook and the Black-headed Gull, are fond of them and also Hedgehogs will eat them when given a chance. In Western Europe there are well over 100 species in the genus Tipula alone, and many of them are very hard to identify.