Flower flies, hover flies, drone flies, whatever you call them, they are technically known as syrphid flies (Order Diptera, Family Syrphidae). They may be in my garden all summer but I always seem to notice them in the fall. Wherever there's a single blossom or two remaining, there's usually a syrphid hanging out.
Syrphid Fly
(click on image for a larger, clearer view)I had mistakenly thought these flies were called robber flies but my colleagues on the ever-helpful Outdoor Eyes photo forum helped me identify them correctly.
Syrphid larvae are predators of aphids and may consume up to 400 aphids each during the two to three weeks of their development.
Although they appear from early spring, the sight of these flies in the autumn tells me that summer is over and fall is under way. They are among the last of the insects to leave. I have even seen syrphids sitting on snow-covered mums. Handsome little critters, surfin' on the last flowers of the season.
For more information on syrphid flies:
- http://www.ipmofalaska.com/files/Syrphid.html.
- http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/wildlife/conserva/19-01-5.htm
- http://www.cirrusimage.com/Flies_hover.htm. Great photo gallery!
(9-Oct-2003, Revised 16-June-2004)
www.NorthernJourney.com -- gene@wilburn.ca