Dobsonfly Facts & Information
Protect your home or business from dobsonflies by learning techniques for identification and control.
Order Megaloptera
Treatment
How do I get rid of dobsonflies?
What Orkin Does
Keeping pests out of your home or building is an ongoing process, not a one-time treatment. Orkin’s exclusive A.I.M. solution is a continuing cycle of three critical steps—Assess, Implement and Monitor.
Orkin can provide the right solution to keep dobsonflies in their place and out of your home or business.
Call us 877-884-0491
FAQs
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Dobsonflies are found primarily outdoors near large bodies of water. Dobsonflies develop in running water and are an important insect that adds value to the overall quality of aquatic ecosystems. While this means properties near streams and rivers experience more activity from the pests, it also ensures that they rarely come into homes.
At most, homeowners might notice adult dobsonflies around outdoor lights. An open window near a light source may encourage one of these insects to come inside.
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Bites
Adult male dobsonflies have long, curved mandibles, but they are harmless to humans. Females and larvae have smaller, sharper pincers that can pierce human skin. Despite their frightening looks and size, these insects are not a danger to people. Dobsonflies only bite when handled roughly, and while the bite is painful, the effects of a bite do not last very long.
Disease
Additionally, these insects are not known carriers of any diseases, and they may emit unpleasant odors when threatened.
Behavior, Diet & Habits
Understanding Dobsonflies
Diet
Adults typically do not feed. They are attracted to lights and may been seen resting on walls near outdoor light fixtures. Larvae are aquatic and predators of other aquatic organisms. Fisherman sometimes use them as bait for fish.
Habitat & Reproduction
Females lay eggs in fast-moving streams and rivers. Dobsonfly larvae emerge and often hide under rocks and in crevices. They go through a series of molts until they pupate into adults. The larvae become adults after an underwater stage known as hellgrammites.
Larvae Bites: Signs and Symptoms
Typically living under rocks in flowing rivers and streams, hellgrammite larvae feed on small, soft-bodied insects. Their heads are equipped with sharp pincers capable of delivering painful bites to humans. While hellgrammites are not aggressive, bites from these larvae often pierce the skin and cause very minor bleeding.