No one likes hoverflies buzzing around them, but when you hear about their beneficial eating habits, you might change your mind. So what do hoverflies eat? Learn all about it!
Having a guard to protect your crops from destructive aphids is something that everyone who has ever faced these pests wants.
But, getting a species that not only control aphid populations but also promotes pollination is a straight jackpot.
Hoverflies are such insects that offer the dual benefit of hunting aphids and being excellent pollinators!
These benefits are directly linked to their eating habits, so let us know more about them.
What Do Hoverflies Eat?
Adult hoverflies mostly rely on flowering plants to fulfill their dietary requirements. These insects are active consumers of pollens and nectar.
If you have a garden full of bright flowers, you will notice hoverflies buzzing around them like drones.
They love to be around flowers and plants like wild carrots, sweet alyssum, dill, coriander, etc.
They are excellent pollinators since the pollen sticks to their hairy bodies and gets transferred to other parts of the garden.
At times you can also find flower flies (another name for hoverflies) feeding on decaying animal matter.
What Do Hoverfly Larvae Eat?
Hoverfly larvae are extremely small. You can only clearly see them with a 10x magnifying glass.
But do not let the small size fool you; these tiny larvae are experts at hunting and consuming garden pests like aphids, scale insects, thrips, mites, and some tiny caterpillars.
These slug-like larvae search the undersides of garden plants to locate aphids and consume them. They can wipe out large aphid colonies in a matter of days!
How Do Hoverfly Larvae Eat Aphid Eggs?
Adult females prefer to lay eggs in host plants with significant aphid populations.
The larvae scour the undersides of the leaves to locate the tiny aphid eggs and consume them. They pierce the egg’s body to suck out the contents.
Thus, hoverfly larvae are great for erasing aphid infestations from your garden.
Where Do Hoverflies Live? Can You Get Them In Your Garden?
Hoverflies are found in different regions of the world. You can spot them on every continent except Antarctica.
As per some estimates, there are about 62 species in America alone! They are present in nearly all states.
Hoverflies prefer to stay in flower-abundant spaces like home gardens, forests, and bushvelds. You must note that hoverflies are not present in deserts.
Some hoverflies lay eggs in stagnant water sources as their larvae are aquatic.
The species that larvae hunt aphids and other soft-bodied insects prefer to be on land around forests and gardens.
How To Attract Hoverflies To Your Garden?
Hoverflies are extremely beneficial insects, and people prefer to have them near their gardens. Here are a few tips and tricks to attract common species of these insects to your garden:
Adult hoverflies are primarily dependent on flowers to fulfill their diets. Therefore having a wide range of fully bloomed flowers in the garden is a perfect tool to lure these insects.
If there are no food sources for the larvae, the females won’t lay eggs in your garden. An aphid-infested space is an ideal spot for females to lay eggs.
The larvae will spend a significant part of the life cycle consuming these aphids and their eggs.
Avoid the use of chemical fertilizers in your gardens and agricultural crops. Hoverflies avoid areas with high chemical remains.
Which Flowers To Plant?
You can not buy hoverflies from the market. However, you can always buy flowering plants that these insects are fond of.
Here is a list of plants that can be instrumental in attracting hoverflies to your garden:
- Queen Anne’s lace
- Yarrow
- Cornflowers
- Oregano
- Sweet alyssum
- Garlic chives
- Bachelor buttons
- Buckwheat
These plants also attract aphids, which is, again, effective for hoverflies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are hoverflies good for anything?
Hoverflies are excellent pollinators are they roam from flower to flower in search of nectar and pollens.
The hoverfly larva is one of the biggest predators of aphids.
These tiny worm-like larvae search the leaves to hunt down the aphids and their eggs. They can eradicate an entire aphid colony in a short time.
Do hoverflies sting people?
No hoverflies do not bite or sting people. These insects do not have a stinger and are harmless.
They might look similar to bees and wasps, but this helps to keep them safe from predators. The bright colors make them appear unappealing to predators.
Do hoverflies need water?
Some species of hoverfly larvae are aquatic in nature. They live and hunt in stagnant waters.
The ones that eat aphids and other soft-bodied insects stay in forests, home gardens, and other well-flowering spots.
They are also attracted to saline sweat-water on humans and are often licking it.
Why do hoverflies follow you?
Hoverflies will only follow you if you are sweating. These insects love the salts in human sweat and will land on humans to lick and drink the beads.
If you want to void them from buzzing around you, try to stay sweat-free. Use sweat absorbents to keep yourself dry.
Wrap Up
The eating habits of hoverflies make them one of the most beneficial insects to have in your garden.
The adult will feed nectar and pollen to promote pollination, and the larvae are experts in hunting down aphids.
Thus, they are an excellent source to increase pollination and promote natural pest control.
Make a note of the plants mentioned here that can be planted to lure these insects. Thank you for reading the article.
9 Comments. Leave new
I enjoy having Hover Flies in my garden, also. They help keep the aphids down on the tropocal milkweed I grow for the Monarch and Queen butterflies
Hopefully, they cause no harm to the catterpillars.
I also enjoy watching their interesting flight patterns, like a helicoptor.
I enjoy having Hover Flies in my garden, also. They help keep the aphids down on the tropocal milkweed I grow for the Monarch and Queen butterflies
Hopefully, they cause no harm to the catterpillars.
I also enjoy watching their interesting flight patterns, like a helicoptor.
Sphaerophoria
Eristalinus sp.
We have all these hover flies, they are swarming us. What can we do…
Do they bite, I smacked one it was filled with blood…
We have all these hover flies, they are swarming us. What can we do…
Do they bite, I smacked one it was filled with blood…
Hover Flies do not bite.
Anna’s post here from Hawthorne, CA (which is just south of Inglewood, in the Los Angeles area…and not east of Fresno, as shown in the map above) is a conopid fly rather than a syrphid. The color pattern (in particular, the reddish and very narrowly-based “T” on the frons, and the pale facial grooves)…along with the location…indicate species Physocephala texana.
Note that members of the syrphid tribe Cerioidini are often misidentified as members of the subfamily Conopinae of family Conopidae, and vice-versa. Also, Monoceromyia floridensis is endemic to Florida…so far out of range for CA.
Anna’s post here from Hawthorne, CA (which is just south of Inglewood, in the Los Angeles area…and not east of Fresno, as shown in the map above) is a conopid fly rather than a syrphid. The color pattern (in particular, the reddish and very narrowly-based “T” on the frons, and the pale facial grooves)…along with the location…indicate species Physocephala texana.
Note that members of the syrphid tribe Cerioidini are often misidentified as members of the subfamily Conopinae of family Conopidae, and vice-versa. Also, Monoceromyia floridensis is endemic to Florida…so far out of range for CA.