Skeeter Hawks valuable in Mosquito Fight
July 8, 2001

They have been nicknamed "skeeter hawks." Although almost everyone can recognize them, not everyone knows how valuable they are in controlling mosquitoes and other insects. They are built for the job.

Dragonflies have long, slim bodies, four strong netted wings and a head composed chiefly of two enormous compound eyes (30,000 lenses). They can see in all directions except to the rear. Their eyes can detect rapid movement, aiding them in capturing their prey. They catch small insects with their open mouths. Larger insects are captured with their legs, which are equipped with spines and held in a basket shape. They catch their meals while in flight.

Dragonflies are considered the best insect flyers, having been clocked at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Their four wings cannot be folded but always stick straight out even when at rest. Sometimes the wings are capable of beating independently. Their wing power allows them to twist and turn, cruise rapidly, hover, and even fly backward. Strong, swift, and greedy, they are especially valuable insects.

Darners, Club tails, Spike tails, Cruisers, Emeralds, and Skimmers are the descriptive names of the six families found in Wisconsin. Varied colors, eye position and wing markings as well as general size identify the different groups.

Darners are the most common in our area. They are large dragonflies with up to a five inch wingspan. They are long and slender with very large eyes. The males have a dark green thorax and a blue abdomen. Watch for them at twilight. there are a number of other kinds of Darners with different colors but the same general shape.

Club tails have what their name denotes, an enlargement at the end of the abdomen. Only the Dusty Club tail is listed as common in our area although its "club" is less noticeable. It is dusky with yellow markings. The eyes are farther apart than those of Darners. they favor boggy areas. Most other kinds of Club tails are found farther north and west in this state.

The Two-spotted Spike tail is fairly common in Manitowoc County. It is identifiable by pairs of yellow abdominal spots and two white spots on its thorax. you have to meet Cruisers face-to-face to see the yellow stripes on the face and the green eyes. they aren't common to our area.

The American Emerald, with a brow and metallic green thorax and a black, cigar-shaped abdomen, is the common representative of the Emerald family that might be seen in local marshy areas.

Dragonflies in the Skimmer family have brightly colored bodies, which are shorter than the wingspan. They are small, ranging from less than an inch to about 2 and a half inches in length. The Dot-Tailed White-Face with its conspicuous pale dot on the top of its abdomen, like most other dragonflies, frequents marshy areas and streams.

The larval form of dragonflies lives in water. That's material for another column as is a discussion of damsel flies that look like dragonflies, except that they hold their wings over their back. Dragonflies---one more thing to look for out-of-doors. See "Common Dragonflies of Wisconsin" by Karl and Dorothy Legler and Dave Westover for identification of species.