How To Get Rid Of Dobsonfly, And Do You Really Need To?

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Did you find a large, scary-looking creature flying in or around your house? It might be a dobsonfly. In this article, we talk about how to get rid of dobsonfly and whether you need to do it at all.

 

If you live near a body of water, there’s a chance that you might find dobsonflies in your home. While these large insects look quite intimidating, they aren’t a threat to humans. 

Still, nobody likes one of the largest insects flying around in the house. The dobsonfly is mostly a nuisance pest, although the females are capable of delivering bites powerful enough to draw blood. 

If you’re here reading this article, you’re probably trying to find out how to get rid of these massive bugs.

 

How To Get Rid Of Dobsonfly

 

How Did I Get Dobsonflies?

Dobsonflies ending up in your home were likely drawn to your lights. They are nocturnal creatures, and like many others in the insect world, they find lights irresistible. 

Dobsonflies are mostly aquatic insects, spending the entire larval stage of their lives (three to four years) in the water. 

Their larvae prefer shallow and fast-flowing water bodies, such as small rivers and streams. Full-grown dobsonflies live on land but usually stick close to bodies of water. 

If your house has outdoor lights that you keep on during the night, and you live near a stream of running water like a river, you might find them in and around your house.

They usually don’t like to come inside, but if your window is open just a crack and your lights are on, they might venture inside.

How To Identify Them?

Dobsonflies are easily identifiable thanks to their unusual appearance. The males have one or more inch-long, sickle-shaped mandibles, which give them a menacing look.

The jaws on female dobsonflies are shorter and resemble pincers. The females can bite using these jaws, but the male’s mandibles are not useful in biting.

From the end of the mandibles to the tip of the wings, these bugs can grow up to 5 inches long. Their size and color may vary from one species to another. 

Another noticeable feature of the dobsonfly’s appearance is its wingspan, which can be twice as long as the body. 

The wings are similar to those of a grasshopper’s – two pairs of narrow translucent wings stretching out on either side when spread. 

As for the color, they are usually dull brown or tan. However, some species, such as the Eastern Dobsonfly, can also be bright yellow.

 

How To Get Rid Of Dobsonfly

 

Can They Bite?

Although the mandibles of the adult male dobsonfly are large and scary looking, they are unsuitable for biting. 

They don’t get enough leverage because they are fleshy, and therefore even if they try to bite, it doesn’t do any damage. A bite from a make dobsonfly feels merely like a strong poke or pinch. 

Female dobsonflies can inflict painful bites with their short, sharp, and pincer-like mandibles, powerful enough to pierce the skin. 

However, they aren’t aggressive at all and would bite you only if you handled them roughly. Neither male nor female dobsonflies are venomous or poisonous.

Do They Spread Disease?

Don’t worry; despite their scary appearance, dobsonflies do not spread any diseases

Apart from the sharp, stinging pain, a dobsonfly’s bite doesn’t cause any issues either.  However, they might release foul odors in your home if they feel threatened.

 

How To Get Rid Of Dobsonfly

 

How To Get Rid of Them?

Before you take up pest control solutions to eliminate the dobsonflies in your home, consider whether it’s really necessary. 

However, if you’re keen on eliminating the dobsonflies immediately or there are simply too many of them in your home, you may use insecticides.

Leave Them Be

In most cases, they don’t require pest control as they’re just nuisance pests and don’t cause either disease or any other damage. 

As adult dobsonflies live only a few days, it’s just a temporary and short-lived inconvenience.  Moreover, dobsonflies don’t reproduce indoors – they lay their eggs in or around water bodies.

Hence, the best way to deal with dobsonflies is just to leave them be. Pesticidal control isn’t usually recommended. 

Pesticides

However, if you’re keen on eliminating the dobsonflies immediately or there are simply too many of them in your home, you may use the Supreme IT insecticide. 

Create a diluted solution by mixing an ounce of Supreme IT per gallon of water.

Now use a pump sprayer to spray this solution and treat the area around your home’s foundation. 

Remember to cover three feet out from the foundation and three feet up along it. You’ll need a gallon of the solution per Sq.Ft. of area. 

The treated area will need two to four hours to dry, until which you shouldn’t allow people or pets to enter the area.

 

How To Get Rid Of Dobsonfly

 

How To Prevent Them From Coming to Your Home?

Since it’s likely your outdoor lighting that keeps drawing the dobsonflies, consider keeping the lights turned off. You may also replace them with yellow bug-safe lights instead. 

If possible, keep your pool empty during the hatching season so that the bugs don’t lay eggs in it. Most importantly, keep the curtains closed over all your windows at night so that dobsonflies don’t make their way inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a dobsonfly good for?

Like all other organisms, the dobsonfly also has a role in the ecosystem. Their larvae help keep the population of other aquatic invertebrates in control by preying on them. 
They are voracious predators of various insects, small fish, and other larvae which float by near their hiding places.
Apart from that, there are two uses specific to humans. They make excellent bait for fishing
They are also useful to judge the quality of water, as they only live in clean water and are sensitive to contaminants.

Are Dobson flies rare?

The dobsonfly is an uncommon insect species, especially in the US. They’re more common in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in China and Vietnam. 
However, you might still come across them near water bodies. The adults are very rare because they only live for 3-7 days, mating and reproducing to continue their clan, and then die off.

What is the life cycle of a dobsonfly?

Dobsonflies lay eggs on the leaves of plants. Each lay contains thousands of eggs at a time.
When the eggs hatch, the larvae emerge and immediately head towards the water. A dobsonfly spends three to four years in its larval form, known as hellgrammites. 
It goes through 10 to 12 instars before it pupates into an adult dobsonfly. The adults live only a week or less, but it’s enough time for them to mate and lay eggs.

Can you hold a dobsonfly?

Yes, you may hold dobsonflies as they aren’t venomous or aggressive. 
However, while holding a male dobsonfly is completely safe, you’ll have to be careful with the females. As mentioned earlier, their bites are painful, and they might bite you if handled roughly. 
If you are planning to hold live larvae to hook for bait, make sure you hold it from behind its head because it can also inflict painful bites.

Do dobsonflies eat plants?

Don’t worry; dobsonflies don’t eat plants. Although hellgrammites are voracious predators, they only prey in the water. The adult dobsonflies don’t feed at all. 
This is why the dobsonfly is merely a nuisance pest, and you shouldn’t worry about your plants if you find them flying around.

Wrapping up

Hopefully, this article has dispelled any fears you had regarding these large aquatic insects. You may rest assured that dobsonflies won’t harm your pets or damage your garden. 

As mentioned, pest control measures are rarely necessary for these bugs. Thank you for reading, and I hope you can keep the dobsonflies out of your home in the future. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Authors

  • Bugman

    Bugman aka Daniel Marlos has been identifying bugs since 1999. whatsthatbug.com is his passion project and it has helped millions of readers identify the bug that has been bugging them for over two decades. You can reach out to him through our Contact Page.

    View all posts
  • Piyushi is a nature lover, blogger and traveler at heart. She lives in beautiful Canada with her family. Piyushi is an animal lover and loves to write about all creatures.

    View all posts
Tags: Dobsonflies

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4 Comments. Leave new

  • That is just horrible. I’ve encountered a couple of these guys in RL and they are completely inoffensive. They can’t even bite effectively with those goony jaws! (However, watch out for the ladies of the species, as THOSE can deliver a painful nip with their short and well-muscled mandibles.)

    My reaction to the first one I ever saw was immense curiosity. It was a really poor flier and it was pretty clear to me from the way the male’s jaws were shaped that it couldn’t possibly deliver anything more than a gentle squeeze. I’ve handled male Dobsonflies and find them adorable in their goony, goofy way of moving about. You wouldn’t get me to hold a female, though.

    Reply
  • What are they doing in my house, car patio,and everywhere I look ?, I live in Oregon, and how can I get rid of them,they bite more than just my toes?

    Reply
  • What are they doing in my house, car patio,and everywhere I look ????, I live in Oregon, and how can I get rid of them,they bite more than just my toes?

    Reply
  • Michelle Davis
    July 24, 2023 5:01 pm

    I have a video of a dobsonfly eating my tomatoes on my table. Adults don’t eat? Right….

    Reply

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