Latest Update 24th March 2017.
Hoverflies.
- I was photographing one of my Hebes and caught this handsome fellow in mid flight.
- Hoverflies belong to the insect family Syrphidae.
- They are common throughout the world and can be found on all continents except Antarctica.
- Hoverflies are harmless to most other animals, they don't sting despite their similar appearance to wasps and bees. This is a defensive mechanism designed to ward off predators.
- As
their common name suggests, adult hoverfies can often be seen hovering
near flowers on a warm spring day. They feed on nectar and pollen, but
their larvae are insectivorous and prey on aphids and other sap sucking
insects.
In my Garden.
- Hoverflies
provides a twofold benefit in the organic garden. They pollinating
flowering plants and keep sap sucking insect pests such as aphids under
control.
- Organic gardeners grow companion
plants such as alyssum, Iberis umbellata, statice, buckwheat,
chamomile, parsley, and/or yarrow as a source of habitat and food for hoverflies.
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