Many of us enjoy watching hoverflies as they dart around our gardens amongst the bees and wasps. Sometimes, it is hard to tell the difference as many hoverfly species mimic honeybees and bumblebees (there’s even a hoverfly that mimics a hornet!).
Hoverflies belong to the family Syrphidae which consists of over 250 species in the UK, some of which are incredibly rare. One of these remarkable rare species is the bog hoverfly Eristalis cryptarum.
Adult hover flies are important pollinators and can be found feeding at flower blossoms or around aphid colonies, where they lay their eggs. The larvae of hover flies are important predators of pests, such as aphids, scales, thrips and caterpillars. They are rivaled only by ladybird beetles and lacewings.
Adult hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen. The adults need flowers as nectar and pollen sources. They are attracted to weedy borders or mixed garden plantings that are also infested with aphids
How can you tell a wasp from a hoverfly?
The main difference is invisible to the lay observer, given that most encounters happen when the wasp or fly is airborne: wasps have four wings, hoverflies two. More obviously, wasps are "wasp- waisted" while the hoverfly's thorax and abdomen are divided by less of a narrowed section or have none at all.3 Aug 2004
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