Top 10 Most Wanted Bugs in Your Garden – Syrphid Fly
  • October 2, 2018
  • Posted by: Mike McQueen, Charles Ray, Kerry Smith
  • in Lawn & Garden
Syrphid fly
Syrphid Fly

*This is an excerpt from Top 10 Most Wanted Bugs in Your Garden, ANR-2283.

Aliases: hover fly, flower fly

Wanted For: Hunting down aphids, mealybugs, and other pests, and for pollinating plants.

Family History: Adults are known to be important pollinators. The larvae suck the juices out of their insect victims. A single larva can consume hundreds of victims per month.

Sightings: Larvae are usually found under leaves in the company of aphids. Adults can be seen lurking around sunflowers, feverfew, and other nectar-rich flowers.

Master of Disguise: With their yellow and black stripes, the adults appear to be bees, but they have only one set of wings and can’t sting. The larvae look like fat, legless caterpillars.

Mike McQueen, Regional Extension Agent, Home Grounds, Gardens and Home Pests; Charles Ray, Research Fellow, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University; and Kerry Smith, State Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Auburn University

Reviewed November 2021, Top 10 Most Wanted Bugs in Your Garden, ANR-2283

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