The Backyard Jungle PartXII: Hover Flies
(Page 2 of 2)
July/August 1985
By Ron West
While maggots are almost always legless, and swim or burrow through their food, the larvae of many of the hover flies have evolved stubby protrusions on their undersides that serve to support and transport the creatures as they crawl over vegetation in search of prey. In some instances, I've found these larvae to be the predominant natural control in a given aphid population.
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The most interesting maggots in the hover fly family are the aquatic larvae of the genus Eristalis, called rat-tailed larvae. These little brutes look something like the garden-variety larvae, but sport long, tail-like breathing tubes that telescope to the water's surface for oxygen. These fascinating creatures are often found in slow-moving polluted streams and in stagnant ponds that are fouled with decaying organic matter. They're also found in fluid or semifluid animal excrement. The adult Eristalis bears a remarkable resemblance to the honeybee.
The moral of this little story is that you can't tell a fly by its hover. Consequently, for the sake of your garden, don't kill any colorful hovering insect. Whether it's actually a stinging hymenopteran, or merely a harmless hover fly in protective costume, the little creature is more valuable alive than dead.
While maggots are almost always legless, and swim or burrow through their food, the larvae of many of the hover flies have evolved stubby protrusions on their undersides that serve to support and transport the creatures as they crawl over vegetation in search of prey. In some instances, I've found these larvae to be the predominant natural control in a given aphid population.
The most interesting maggots in the hover fly family are the aquatic larvae of the genus Eristalis, called rat-tailed larvae. These little brutes look something like the garden-variety larvae, but sport long, tail-like breathing tubes that telescope to the water's surface for oxygen. These fascinating creatures are often found in slow-moving polluted streams and in stagnant ponds that are fouled with decaying organic matter. They're also found in fluid or semifluid animal excrement. The adult Eristalis bears a remarkable resemblance to the honeybee.
The moral of this little story is that you can't tell a fly by its hover. Consequently, for the sake of your garden, don't kill any colorful hovering insect. Whether it's actually a stinging hymenopteran, or merely a harmless hover fly in protective costume, the little creature is more valuable alive than dead.
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