Hoverflies

Hoverflies are a type of fly that look like bees and wasps, but they do not have stingers and have only one pair of wings, which is typical for flies. Most hoverflies have bright yellow and black stripes or bands. They often hover still in the air before quickly moving to a new spot. This hovering behaviour, which is unique among flies in Britain, makes them easy to recognise. The larvae of hoverflies have a wide range of habitats. Some grow in rotting organic material, others live inside plant stems, and many feed on aphids. Because they eat aphids, which are pests, hoverfly larvae are helpful for natural pest control. Hoverflies are common all over the UK. You can find them in gardens, woods, hedgerows, and meadows, especially where there are plenty of flowering plants that provide nectar for the adults. They are some of the most important pollinators in the UK after bees. There are over 280 species of hoverflies in Britain. They vary in size from tiny ones about five millimetres long to larger ones over twenty millimetres. Adults are most often seen from spring to autumn on sunny days.