Over the last few days dozens of adult crane flies have emerged from their puparia (pupal casing). They are easiest to find resting in the turf in a moist shady area. This is just the beginning of the adult flights. They usually peak around the middle of September. On golf courses or sod farms, f you observe large numbers of adults and have experienced leatherjacket damage in the past there are preventative insecticides that can be applied over the next month. If you prefer to wait, there are also curative insecticides that can be applied next spring. The rates and products can be found in the OMAFRA Publication 384, Protection Guide for Turfgrass. Here is the link – http://www.ontario.ca/bwg3.
On home lawns, insect parasitic nematodes can be applied after all adults have finished egglaying (end of October, beginning of November). Our best results have been with a combination of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapse.