- Hoverflies: profile and characteristics
- Hoverfly Species
- Identifying and recognizing hoverflies
- Use hoverfly larvae against aphids
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At first glance, some hoverfly species resemble a wasp. You can find out how to correctly identify the hoverfly and whether it can sting here.
Our gardens are often teeming with a wide variety of hoverfly species (Syrphidae), which tamper with our flowering plants. These hoverflies not only look interesting, but can also be extremely useful for us. Here's everything you need to know about these tiny insects.
There are countless different species of hoverfly in Europe alone, which vary in size, diet and lifestyle. The adult animals mostly feed on pollen and nectar, the larvae, on the other hand, have very different preferences depending on the species. Some hoverfly larvae feed on aphids or other insects, while others feed on plant sap. Hoverflies also vary in color and size. They are striped similarly to wasps (Vespinae), bees (Apiformes) or bumblebees (Bombus) and can not only have yellow-black stripes, because the coloration extends to reddish.
Hoverflies: profile and characteristics
Hoverflies belong to the order Diptera(Diptera) and within that to the family Hoverflies (Syrphidae). They are medium-sized and have distinctive black and yellow markings resembling the warning coloring of wasps or bees. The adult hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen and thereby pollinate many flowering plants. They are particularly important for pollination, because this is not only - as is well known - the responsibility of the bees, but also many other insects, such as hoverflies, are important for this. Because the hoverfly's mouthparts are relatively short, they prefer open and disk-shaped flowers for feeding in order to be able to drink from the flowers better. Such flowering plants are, for example, umbellifers (Apiaceae) such as Dost (Origanum), thyme (Thymus) or Carrots (Daucus carotasubsp. sativus). The females lay their whitish to yellowish stalk-shaped eggs, from which small larvae then hatch. The larvae of the hoverflies then either feed on other insects such as aphids (Aphidoidea), plants, or they are rot decomposers. The larvae also differ significantly in their appearance.
Note: The name "hover fly" comes from their flight technique, because the small insects can practically hover in the air with a very high flapping frequency of their wings.
Hoverfly Species
There isn't just one species of hoverfly, there are hundreds of them. In Germany alone there are around 440 different species - we will introduce some of these to you below.
Hoverfly Species: Grove Hoverfly (Episyrphus b alteatus)
The grove hover fly is also known as the migratory or winter hover fly and its body is 7 to 12 mm long. The head of the hoverfly is colored yellow and the forehead is grey. The front part of the body is shiny dark green-gold and has three light gray longitudinal lines on the upper side. Orange and black transverse bands can be seen on the rear part of the body. The grove hoverfly can best be recognized by these characteristics. The grove hoverfly is found in Asia, North America and Europe and is one of the most common hoverfly species in Europe. The adult grove hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen, the larvae mainly eat aphids.
Hoverfly Species: Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria)
Other names for the hornet hoverfly are large forest hoverfly or giant bumblebee hoverfly. Its appearance actually resembles that of a hornet, which is used to deter hoverfly predators. The hornet hover fly is easily recognized by its reddish-brown upper chest and bright yellow forehead. Their larvae are found in the nests of wasps and hornets, as the larvae feed on the waste products there.
Hoverfly Species: Dung Bee (Eristalis tenax)
The dung bee also has the appealing names mud bee or false bee harlequin hoverfly and is 14 to 18 mm in size. The abdomen is dark brown in color and ittwo wedge-shaped yellow to reddish spots can be seen. The larvae of these hoverflies can often be found in cesspits, cesspools, or on the edges of ponds. The larvae have a breathing tube that allows them to breathe underwater. Because of this breathing tube, the larvae of the dung bee also have the nickname "rat tail larvae".
Hoverfly species: Large hoverfly (Syrphus ribesii)
The large hoverfly, also known as the common garden hoverfly, has a body size of 10 to 12 mm. It has a matt black base color and you can see three yellow bands on its abdomen. These hoverflies can be found almost everywhere because they inhabit numerous different habitats. It is distributed in Asia and Europe and its larvae are predatory. One hoverfly larva can eat up to 150 aphids per day.
Hoverfly Species: Common Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
The hoverfly has a body length of 7 to 10.5 mm, a black and yellow striped abdomen and has typical brown-red antennae. The common hoverfly can be found in meadows, gardens, forest clearings and along roadsides. The larvae of this species of hoverfly feed on aphids, the adult hoverflies on pollen and nectar of various flowering plants.
Hoverfly species: Long-bellied hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)
The common long-bellied hoverfly is also known as the common pin hoverfly or common long-bellied hoverfly. It has a body size of 9 to 12 mm. Its body, as its name suggests, is elongated and very slender. The face is yellow in color and there is a dark hump in the center, the body of the long-bellied hoverfly is striped yellow and black. The adult hoverflies feed on pollen and nectar, but the larvae prefer aphids.
Identifying and recognizing hoverflies
With the large number of species of hoverflies, it is sometimes very difficult to identify them exactly, but it is easier to distinguish between wasps.
Distinguish hoverflies from wasps
Own unlike waspsthe hoverflies do not have a wasp waist, i.e. a narrowing between the thoracic segment and the abdomen. The similarities to the wasps are only there to deter predators. Hoverflies only have one pair of wings, while wasps have two. This feature may not be obvious at first glance, but it is an important differentiator. Hoverflies' antennae are also much shorter than those of wasps. Also, the flight style of hoverflies and wasps is not the same, because hoverflies are able to practically "hover" in the air due to the approximately 300 wing beats per second. For predators like birds, these similarities between hoverflies and wasps are enough to deter them. But for those of us who take a closer look, it's relatively easy to tell which insect we're dealing with.
If you are now interested in finding out more about wasp species and their special distinguishing features, then simply read on here.
Can hoverflies sting?
Since hoverflies look very similar to wasps and bees, one might assume that hoverflies are able to sting, but this is not the case. They can't sting us, and they can't bite either, because they only have licking and sucking mouthparts. So don't worry if a hoverfly lands on your arm, it's completely harmless. However, if a wasp has strayed towards you and you have suffered a painful sting, you can find out here how best to treat a wasp sting.
Use hoverfly larvae against aphids
The larvae of certain hoverfly species are used for biological pest control because they feed on predators. The larvae eat aphids with great pleasure, because the hoverflies lay their eggs in the midst of the aphid colonies. The larvae then eat several hundred aphids until their last molt. You can find more ways to control aphids with home remedies here in our special article.
The hoverfly larvae of the species Episyrphus not only tamper with aphids, they also tamper with spider mites (Tetranychidae ), blood lice (Eriosoma lanigerum) and other small caterpillars that may be on the plants. Therefore, you should always ensure that your garden becomes an insect-freeor becomes a more useful place. For example, you can sow an insect-friendly seed mixture such as our Plantura bee pasture. This contains over 20 annual and perennial insect-friendly plants that also provide food and habitat for hoverflies.
Here are even more tips for an insect-friendly garden.