Hoverflies

A lot of buzzy things fly in through the open door of our conservatory and fail to find the exit.  It's easy to dismiss them as just flies but closer examination shows a huge variety.

Here are two hoverflies

The one on the left is the Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae).  The key to recognition is these curved yellow stripes on its abdomen, like commas.

The other is a Drone Fly (probably Eristalis tenax)  - sorry, my photography doesn't show these chaps too well.

If you can get him to sit still long enough, the kink in the vein near the wing tip helps with identification

And this little character, the Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) is also common and perhaps the easiest to identify.

Have a look at the Buzz Club website, which is all about insects, particularly pollinators.  You can:

• learn about hoverfly lagoons
• watch a video by Dave Goulson the bumble bee man
• try a quiz to see if you can tell apart honey bees, bumble bees, solitary bees butterflies & moths, wasps, hoverflies, flies and beetles.  All good fun and the results help a survey to see how many people are in the know.  

You can even join the club which is for all ages from young children to octogenarians.