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• They are the larvae of the Crane fly, you might know them better as Daddy longlegs. From July through until September the adult Crane fly "Daddy long legs" can produce hundreds of eggs in your lawns. The eggs hatch between late autumn and early spring into a maggot like leather jacket larvae and it's these that eat grass roots and ruin the lawn. 
• The eggs hatch a few weeks after they have been laid and the leather-jackets immediately begin feeding on grass roots. In cold winters, they overwinter as small larvae and do not grow large enough to cause significant damage until mid-summer. Mild winters allow the young larvae to continue feeding and they can be large enough to cause lawn problems by late winter.
• Leather-jackets have elongate tubular bodies, up to 30mm long, and are greyish brown. They have no legs or obvious head. 

What attracts Leather jackets to a lawn? 

• A combination of poor grass condition, shallow rooting and mild wet winters create the ideal conditions for hatching of the Crane fly larvae. Deep rooted grass, low winter temperatures and frosts usually control numbers. 
• A new lawn is also susceptible to damage by the Crane fly larvae as the roots are succulent and easy to digest by the larvae.
• Dry soil conditions post egg laying can result in many of the eggs failing to hatch. So the presence of large numbers of adult flies do not always mean there will be large numbers of larvae or leather-jacket in the next year. A good reason not to over water your grass.

What makes leather jackets a problem?

• The Leather jackets (larvae of the Crane fly) feed on the grass roots and shoots and can strip large areas of a lawn in just a few days. Leaving bare patches that quickly become colonised by weeds or moss.  

• These are the signs to look for in a lawn infested with Crane fly larvae.
• The lawn develops patches where the grass turns yellowish brown and eventually dies off. To check this is caused by an infestation of Leather-jacket and not grass diseases, poor soil, over feeding/watering or drainage problems dig up a shallow section of  the affected turf and look for Leather-jackets in the soil. 
• Another way is to  soak the lawn with water and cover it with black polythene. Leave it overnight and when you lift it the next day you will see large numbers of grubs on the surface of the lawn.

Prevention is always the best cure. 

• Good old-fashioned lawn care stops Daddy longlegs laying their eggs in your lawn, they look for weak shallow rooting chemically fed "green lawn man" type of lawns.
• To Prevent leather jackets infesting lawns it is good "lawn care" practice to encourage the grass to root deep by avoiding over feeding with chemical feed and over watering. 
• Leather jackets are attracted to shallow rooted grass. Over watering and over feeding encourages shallow rooting. Making the lawn an easy and ideal target for Daddy longlegs. Who deposit the eggs that hatch into the Leather jacket pests that munch away on, and thrives on grass roots that are easy to get to.
• You might have a green lawn, but what about the bare patches!

The best way to control Leather-jackets is to follow the lawn-care practises outlined above. However, if your lawn is infested with leather jackets and you have checked that it is not poor drainage or to much shade causing the patches in the lawn. Let's look at getting rid of them. There are no chemical controls available to kill leather jackets. However, there is a biological treatment that will kill leather jackets by infecting them with a bacterial disease. It is safe to use for you and won't harm children, pets and wildlife.

The biological control available for controlling leather-jackets in lawns. Is a pathogenic nematode that is watered into the turf or soil and is safe for you and your children, pets and wildlife

• The nematodes enter the bodies of leatherjackets and infect them with a bacterial disease which kills them. 
• Nematodes will kill and clear an existing infestation of Leather-jackets and as a preventive measure nematodes can also be applied in September to early October.  
• Follow the clear instructions on the pack for best effect.