hover fly

Morning Eye Candy: Diet Buzz

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on September 30 2012, by Matt Newman

Camouflaged hover flies make a meal of it while the bumble bees are out on business.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Morning Eye Candy: Innocent Impostor

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography, Wildlife on June 9 2012, by Matt Newman

Not quite a honey bee, is it? But this little syrphid fly, also known as a hover fly, is as good for a home garden as the buzzing insect it impersonates. Trade-off being that you won’t get any honey out of it (though the lack of a stinger makes up for the missing sweet stuff). Not only will the hover fly pollinate your flowers as it scoots about in search of nectar, but its larvae have a penchant for snacking on the aphids that would otherwise ruin your plants.

All told, stay your swatter if you happen to see one!

Syrphid fly on Lobularia ‘Snow Princess’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen