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another photo from Fairbanks, Alaska
Hello,
I took this photo in yesterday in Fairbanks , Alaska . This small caterpillar (about 1⁄2 inch in length) was eating an aphid on my tomato plant.
Erik Anderson
Education Associate
Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Fairbanks Alaska

Hi Erik,
Beautiful photograph. We did some carniverous caterpillar research and there is only one aphid eating caterpillar, the Harvester, Feniseca tarquinius, and it does not range in Alaska. We queried Eric Eaton and he revealed the real answer: “Ooh! This is a GREAT image about a great creature to talk about. Unless you catch one in the act of eating aphids, you might assume it is actually a plant-feeder, not the biocontrol agent and friend of the gardener! It is the larva of a syrphid fly! Several genera of syrphids (flower flies or, in Europe, “hover flies”) have larvae that eat aphids. The adult flies are all superb wasp or bee mimics, and excellent pollinators, so they help us out at all life stages:-) Thanks for sharing the great image. Eric”

Ed. Note: We just received the following letter.

(07/06/2005) What an odd coincidence, I just posted a picture of the aphid-eating hover fly larva in my blog just days before you posted your answer to a reader’s question. Cool. We’re in Colorado and this picture is from a rose bush. Great site.
Rachel

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