Hover Flies, also called flower or drone flies, form a large family of true flies (order Diptera) that visit flowers for nectar and pollen. In addition to providing pollination services, many hover fly larvae help with pest control. Their larvae eat aphids – up to over a thousand in a lifetime – and can reduce aphid populations by 70% or more! Hover flies are attractive insects with bright, bold patterns and colors. They are also fascinating to watch as they fly about the garden, often hovering in mid-air.

Identification: Many hover flies are remarkable bee or wasp mimics, with bold yellow or white and black stripes. This Batesian mimicry is intended to fool predators by making hover flies look like something dangerous. But don’t worry, they don’t bite or sting. Like all true flies, they have only one pair of wings and, like most other true flies, they have short antennae that emerge close together at the front of the head, between their large eyes. Bees and wasps have two pairs of wings, and their antennae are more widely separated and longer. Hover flies range in size from about 1/8 – 1 inch and are often seen hovering near flowers. The larvae are slug-like, with tapered, yellow, green, or brown bodies, often with white or yellow markings.

Range: Hover flies are found throughout our region.

Breeding: Mating and egg-laying occur during the growing season. Species with aphid-feeding larvae lay eggs on plants near aphid colonies and their pupae develop on leaf surfaces. Other species lay eggs on or near food sources, such as decaying vegetation.