Picture Winged Fly

Subject: Odd ant – wasp looking creature
Location: Cumming, Georgia
July 18, 2014 8:47 am
I have a vegetable garden and this guy hangs out on the outer leaves, he will walk in a complete circle over and over or just hang out on the leaf, he seems to be busy doing something but I can’t tell what. He flies from leaf to leaf and is about 1/2 in long. I have been told to kill it because it doesn’t look like it would be a beneficial bug, but I won’t until I know for sure he is not a good bug for the garden. He has been here since beginning of season, May and still here now, July, with a couple more buddies. The wing colors vary on each, but body color and shape stays the same. I say he because he kind of looks like a bada##!
Signature: Robyn Hood

Dear Robyn Hood,
This attractive fly is a Picture Winged Fly, Delphinia picta, and according to BugGuide, it:  “Breeds in decaying organic matter, such as compost”  so you don’t need to worry about the Picture Winged Fly harming your garden.  More information is available on the Featured Creatures site, which states:  “Larvae of this fly feed on accumulations of badly decayed, sodden vegetation lying on the surface of the ground or partially buried in the soil, on rotting fruit, and on other kinds of decomposing vegetation, including bulbs of commercial onions and wild garlic … In northeastern Ohio, adults were found most commonly on herbaceous vegetation near garbage dumps and refuse heaps. “