OK why are there so damn many Mosquito Hawks in Austin right now?

[horn4life 3,784]

Figured somebody here might know.   I see them every year, but the sheer numbers are overwhelming this year.  I am wondering why there are simply so many this year.  Damn things keep getting into the house when we open the doors.  I know that this "plague" will pass due to short lifespan.  But curious about why so many this year?  

[Bevo 13,601]

Because this is when mosquitos are starting to breed and multiply.

[Pato del Muerto 52,618]

I’m a skeeterhawk, huntin for a skeeter

[CooterBrown 18,033]

They don’t actually eat mosquitos, or anything for that matter, since they don’t have a mouth. They exist to just mate, lay eggs, and die within 2 days of hatching.

[Kennythetiger 9,481]

Just now, CooterBrown said:

They don’t actually eat mosquitos, or anything for that matter, since they don’t have a mouth. They exist to just mate, lay eggs, and die within 2 days of hatching.

They’re born that large?  

[CooterBrown 18,033]

They’re born that large?  

Yes. There’s a larvae stage that feeds on decomposing organics. They turn into the adult crane fly.

I just learned this the other day when my kid asked about them since they’ve been infesting our front porch for several weeks. I always thought they ate mosquitos like every other person out there.

[HamsterHookah 112]

37 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

They don’t actually eat mosquitos, or anything for that matter, since they don’t have a mouth. They exist to just mate, lay eggs, and die within 2 days of hatching.