Dobsonfly

Characteristics

• Adult have large oversized wings and a thin body
• Males have mandibles so large that they are not usable, while the female's smaller mandibles are capable of delivering a painful bite
• Adults do not feed and aren't a threat to humans unless they pinch

A dobsonfly is a large flying insect that looks quite scary. However an invasion by dobsonflies is often short lived since they are not capable of reproducing inside and would rather be near large bodies of water.

Both the females and males have pincers, however the males pincers are so large that it can not effectively use them. The female pincers are much smaller but can deliver a painful bite. Dobsonflies may also emit an unpleasant oder when threatened in order to deter predators. Dobsonflies are attracted to lights and will sometimes enter basements and homes if a door or window is left open.