Hoverflies

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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