Hover fly

Everywhere we look we see the glittering sight of hoverflies in the sun. We’ve never seen so many in the garden before, and I have to say it’s delightful. They look like little jewels flying around.

They are beneficial insects, and predate on aphids – the more the merrier as far as we’re concerned.

We don’t have many roses now, but those we do have are pretty much aphid free, and the same on the citrus trees. It’s all got to be down to these lovely little bugs. The aphid vacuum cleaners!

Here is some information from the Australian museum and thanks also to Paladian. It made me smile where it speaks of catching one of these little critters. Chance would be a fine thing.

Hover flies are small to medium sized flies with large heads, large eyes, and small or inconspicuous antennae. Their bodies are medium to slender, with a waist that is not significantly narrow, unless it is a wasp mimicking species. They have one pair of clear wings, and the banded forms have yellow and black bands of equal width.

Hover fly mimicry of wasps can include having a warning coloration of yellow and black, a narrow waist like a wasp and even the ability to mimic the stinging action of a wasp, by pushing the tip of the abdomen into your fingers if they are caught and held. However, they do not sting and are quite harmless.

Aphid-eating hover fly larvae are flattened, legless and maggot-like. Most are green or brown in colour, going largely unnoticed as they crawl over foliage in search of their aphid prey.

Some people mistake hover flies for wasps or bees because of their black and yellow-striped abdomens and also because they can occur in huge numbers. However, they are actually members of a fly family that have evolved as wasp and bee mimics.

Closer view.