Common Name: Syrphid fly
Scientific Name: Syrphidae: spp
Status: Beneficial predator
Beneficial Stage: Immature

Biology: Adult syrphid flies range from 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch long. Most adults are black or brown with yellow-banded abdomens, often resembling bees. Syrphid flies always have just two wings and usually have very large eyes. Some species are hairy and have a long, thin abdomen.

Females lay single eggs on aphid-infested leafs, or near another suitable food source. Maggots hatch from the eggs in 2 or 3 days and begin to search for food. The larvae are legless maggots and vary in color from creamy-white to green or brown. As maggots, they lack an obvious head but do sport mouthparts that are used to impale their victims. Larvae of a few species feed on live plants, but most feed on other insects, primarily aphids. After two or three weeks, maggots pupate and, later, the adult fly emerges. Adults feed on pollen and nectar.

Value: The larvae search leaf surfaces for aphids and other suitable prey, such as small caterpillars. Each larva can consume up to 400 aphids during development. The syrphid fly is considered a beneficial insect because the larval stages are effective predators on insect pests, such as aphids, and adults pollinate flowers.