An insect similar to a fly and a bee. Hoverfly flies are beneficial insects in the garden. Common hoverfly fly habitat

The common hoverfly fly is a member of the Diptera order. Insects of this order have one pair of wings (mosquitoes, mosquitoes, various flies). Diptera are carriers of various diseases, harm agriculture, but are also the orderlies of our planet. There are flies that catch their fellows. There are flies that infect and destroy pests. hoverfly photo below.

Body 10-12 mm long. Legs are short and light. Dark color with a metallic tint, dark abdomen with yellow crescent spots on each segment of the abdomen. Proboscis of moderate length. There are no hairs on the eyes.

Common hoverfly fly habitats:

The hoverfly is common in North America (except the Far North) and in Eurasia.

The common hoverfly is found on clear hot days, usually near umbrella plants, fields and vegetable gardens, forest glades. It feeds on the nectar of plant flowers, such as parsley, wild carrot, anise, coriander, etc. Like all flower flies, the common hoverfly is highly agile and can often be seen hovering over a flower before landing.

Hoverfly larvae live on leaves and feed on aphids , one larva eats more than 200 pieces per day. Moving through the plant, the larva finds and grabs aphids, after which it begins to suck them out. Accordingly, the larvae of common hoverflies can be found on plants affected by aphids. The larvae have a peculiar body, they are very flexible, reminiscent of leeches, but greenish in color.

The pupae of the larvae resemble a drop of tree sap or hardened drops of resin. In the stage of larvae and hibernate.

See photos of other insects found in Russia in a special

On a summer day, insects can be found on flowers, a bit like wasps or bees, but at the same time they have only two, not four wings. If frightened off, they do not immediately fly away, but first hover in the air above the flower. These are flies from the family hoverflies(lat. Syrphidae), masquerading as dangerous insects that can stand up for themselves - wasps and bees.

This entry is from the Yaran Sketches series. The photos were taken at a master class in macro photography at the end of May 2013 near Yaransk.

It is believed that the name "hoverfly" was given to them for the characteristic sound of wings made while hovering in the air, somewhat reminiscent of the quiet murmur of water. In general, hoverflies are virtuoso flyers. They are capable of fast, swift, long flight, and some of them are capable of long loitering, "standing" in one place. Moreover, the male hoverfly guards its territory by hanging in the air for a long time, and driving away other males. Even mating in many hoverflies occurs in flight. They owe these features to the structure of their wings. The second pair of wings is reduced to club-shaped halteres, which act as balance organs and provide the flies with excellent control in flight.

Adult hoverflies feed on pollen and nectar, occupying one of the leading places among pollinating insects. The sugar contained in the nectar provides the flies with energy, while the pollen provides the protein necessary for the maturation of the eggs. In a large number of hoverflies can be found on the flowers of umbellate and Compositae. Flies actively visit flowers of meadow forbs, berry and fruit trees and bushes (mountain ash, viburnum, hawthorn, currant, etc.). At the same time, hoverfly larvae have more diverse ways of feeding. Some species develop in water, others destroy dead wood, there are inhabitants of anthills, the most common species that live in colonies of aphids.

Many hoverflies resemble wasps, bees and bumblebees in body shape, pubescence, coloration and behavior. Their belly is yellow with black stripes or black with yellow spots. It can be difficult for an inexperienced observer to distinguish hoverflies from bees and wasps, so much so that their colors and movements perfectly imitate stinging hymenoptera. They are harmless, but birds prefer not to touch them, mistaking them for dangerous creatures.

The hoverfly fly is a two-winged insect that looks like a bee or wasp, but differs from them in a smaller number of wings. Where such an insect lives, its differences from predators, nutrition and reproduction - all the information and interesting facts that will be of interest to nature lovers and gardeners.

Fly like a wasp

Hoverflies (lat. Syrphidae) are often found in gardens and summer cottages, where they actively pollinate flowers on garden and fruit crops.

On a note!

They are called hoverflies, thanks to the sounds made during the flight, similar to the murmur of running water.

They are widespread and found on all continents at positive air temperatures. According to the biological classification, scientists refer them to the order of short-whiskers and the family of Diptera.

Sirphids use a remarkable ability to mimic, having an appearance very similar to the stinging insects of bees and wasps, which have the same yellow-black striped abdomen, as seen in the photo of the hoverfly fly, thanks to which they escape from the attack of birds and predators. Hoverflies are virtuosos in the "flight" business: their ability to hover or loiter in one place, and then take off and fly away quickly, is their distinguishing feature. It is due to the unique structure of the wings: one pair is ordinary, and the second is reduced over time into halteres, which are club-shaped, which helps the insect maintain balance and control the stop in flight.

Wasp fly males have their own territory, which they guard vigilantly, periodically hovering in space. Even mating with females occurs in flight.

Outwardly, hoverflies resemble bees or wasps: they have an elongated body with a yellow belly and black stripes, some species have a black body with yellow spots.

On a note!

Due to the similarity of hoverflies with stinging insects, many are interested in the question of whether they bite. The answer may be information about the absence of not only a sting, but also poisonous glands. Therefore, they are absolutely harmless to humans.

Types of hoverflies

1. Damaged plants should be immediately removed from the ground and burned.
2. Treat the beds with insecticidal preparations Aktara, Decis,: and others.
3. Annually make a change in the place of planting such flower crops.
4. Plant carrots in the beds, because its smell can scare away onion hoverflies and flies.
5. according to the same recipe as from the onion fly.
6. It is good to loosen and mulch the soil in order to prevent its compaction - this measure helps to prevent the appearance of sirfid.
7. To prevent the appearance of females of onion hoverflies, it is recommended to treat plantings with tobacco powder, ash, red pepper or naphthalene.
8. After harvesting the beds with onions or garlic, it is recommended to treat the soil with copper sulfate.

However, most species of hoverflies are, helping to pollinate flowers and fruit crops in areas where there are few bees, and eating small pests in large quantities. Therefore, they are considered assistants to gardeners and flower growers, increasing the yield of plants.

We are surrounded by a diverse world of insects: from small spider bugs that are not even visible to large bright butterflies that delight the eye. And among this great variety of creatures there are flies - small winged insects, completely ugly in appearance. They are not favored because of their annoyingness and importunity, but, worst of all, they are carriers of various microorganisms and bacteria that can cause various diseases: from simple poisoning to tuberculosis and typhoid. We are surrounded by a large number of species of flies that need to be able to recognize, so as not to be confused with other insects that are harmless to humans.

Fly classification

There are 40 thousand species of flies in the world, which can be conditionally divided into three large groups:

• village: live in close proximity to humans, in the wild they are not able to survive; house flies;
• semi-village (optional-village): they can live both next to a person and in the wild; blow flies;
• pasture: live in the droppings of cattle on pastures, fly into settlements; dung flies;

Gray blowflies are lovers of corpses

Flies are also divided into those that feed:

• fruits and berries: melon and garden;
• vegetables: lily, cabbage, garlic, cucumber, sprouts;
• flowers: peony;
• blood of animals and people: black (April),;
• rot and carrion: green, domestic, dung, gray meat;
• other insect pests: hoverflies, hoverflies;

Garden flies harm fruit and berry crops

What types of flies are most common

The world of flies is diverse, which, in addition to the structure of the body and the life cycle, have one common property - importunity. Whatever the insect: dangerous or relatively safe for humans, it will be very difficult to get rid of it. What is it that attracts flies to us? These creatures have a well-developed sense of smell, they are attracted by various sweet and not very aromas (but the most pleasant smell for most of them is the aroma of rot), which they fly to. We cook a lot of dishes with all kinds of tastes and smells - it is they that attract these insects so much that they make them travel quite large distances compared to their size and fly into our homes.

The enticing aroma covers everything for flies, sometimes even the instinct of self-preservation, so many people answer the question “How many species of flies do you think exist?” answer: "one - importunate."

The house (or room) fly lives exclusively in close proximity to a person's dwelling, where there is a lot of food and household quickly rotting waste. Existence away from people for this type of insect is impossible, therefore, in the warm season, they are always nearby: they live in our kitchens, where food and their waste are stored, fly in through open windows to stay for several hours, and it is quite difficult to drive them out.

House flies are considered the most annoying

House flies do not have piercing-sucking mouthparts, so they cannot bite humans, but this does not make them completely harmless. These insects have three pairs of limbs, each with small sucker tentacles, to which various bacteria and microorganisms adhere, and then they are carried by flies to food. Creatures of this species are completely unremarkable: they have a gray-brown body with nondescript wings, but very bright red eyes. They occupy almost the entire head, the lower part of which is yellowish, and the upper part is sandy in color. The head has antennae and an oral cavity.

House flies have huge red eyes

Flies have two pairs of wings: the first is used for flight, the second (it is called halteres) is used to maintain balance. It is the halteres that make the sound we call humming.

House flies are diurnal insects that fall asleep at nightfall and wake up when the sun has already risen. They are active only in the warm season, in autumn, with the onset of the first cold weather, they fall into hibernation.

On average, houseflies live 3-4 months. First, an adult female lays eggs (about a hundred in one clutch), from which a larva appears after 8–50 hours (depending on the climate). This is a small worm up to 13 mm long that lives in animal feces and household waste. Approximately once a week the larva molts; after the third, the outer shell of the worm hardens, falls off, and the creature turns into a chrysalis. After 3 days, an adult is born, which becomes sexually mature after 36 hours. During its relatively long life, one fly can lay up to 10,000 eggs.

The larva of a fly looks like a small chopped off worm

These insects eat the same as humans, but prefer liquid or semi-liquid food, as they are unable to bite. To eat solid foods, flies secrete saliva, which is able to dissolve substances of various hardness.

The housefly can be found throughout Russia, but the closer to the south, the milder and warmer the climate and the more this insect. It is very difficult to fight him, but it is possible. The most effective are ordinary insect screens, which can be placed in window and door openings, and sticky tapes, which have a certain kind of smell that attracts flies - they sit on the tape, stick and can no longer fly away. The use of fumigators and various chemical baits is not recommended, especially if there are pregnant women, children or pets in the house, since these products release harmful substances into the air.

Sticky tape should be changed every 2-3 months or as soon as it becomes full of flies.

hoverfly

Hoverfly flies (or sirphids) look very similar to wasps. Even the manner of behavior of these insects is identical: sirphids can freeze in place during the flight, continuing to flap their wings, but they are completely harmless to humans - they do not bite like wasps.

Hoverfly flies got their name from the sound that is produced during the work of their wings - it is very similar to the murmur of water.

Hoverfly flies are found mainly in fields, orchards and orchards, where there are many umbrella and complex-flowered plants. Like all insects, they are most active during the daytime during warm seasons, and hibernate in the winter.

Hoverfly flies are harmless creatures

Hoverfly flies have a small body covered with alternating black and yellow stripes. They have only one pair of transparent wings and huge brown eyes. Hoverflies have a long proboscis, which they use to obtain nectar; They don't bite people or animals.

The wasp's body is more segmented

Syrphids feed mainly on plant nectar, but they can also eat aphids, eggs of various insects and spider mites. Human food does not appeal to them at all.

Wasp-like flies lay 150–200 eggs at a time; masonry is done mainly in the habitats of aphids, which are very convenient for the larvae to hunt. They appear 2-4 days after laying eggs and look like small worms chopped off from behind. The larvae feed on their own, becoming more voracious every day; so, in 2-3 weeks of their life they are able to eat more than 2 thousand aphids. Then the larvae turn into pupae, from which, after 7–10 days, an adult appears.

Hoverfly larvae are very lazy, but their hunting for aphids looks quite interesting: as soon as the victim is noticed, the worm rises, begins to sway from side to side and after a few moments very quickly pounces on the prey, instantly absorbing it. To get yourself more food, you need to move. To do this, the larva "rolls" the mass of its body from one end to the other, thus moving in space.

Hoverflies do not live long: on average, 1–1.5 months, but even in such a short life they bring many benefits to the garden and garden, eating a variety of insects. Many summer residents create favorable conditions for the life of hoverflies so that they settle on their territory and save them from pests. You don't need to get rid of sirphids.

The green (or carrion) fly is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful insects: it has a neat, glossy emerald body, large brown eyes that go well with a pair of smoky wings. All its paws have tentacles to which bacteria and microorganisms stick, which this fly carries over long distances.

The green fly has an incredibly beautiful color

It is a pity that such a beautiful creature feeds on carrion and rot, so it must be driven away and even destroyed, and not admired, as we would like. The carrion fly lives on the corpses of animals, in household waste and in feces, but is sometimes found on flowers with a very strong sweet smell.

Green flies are also found on flowers with a pronounced sweet aroma.

Green flies lay up to 180 eggs in the same place where they feed - in rotten food and bodies. Females try to hide their eggs as deep as possible so that when the larva is born (and this happens after 6-48 hours), she has a lot of food. At the stage of larvae, flies stay from 3 to 9 days, after which they crawl into the soil, where they turn into pupae. After another 10-17 days, an adult fly appears, which gets to the surface.

You should not allow the appearance of carrion flies in your house, since they will bring on their paws a huge amount of bacteria from corpses and feces, which will cause at least poisoning and intestinal diseases. The most effective means against these flies are insect nets and regular duct tape, which smell pleasant to the flies. If you don't have pets at home, you can buy a flycatcher plant.

Flycatcher is a very beautiful plant that feeds on the blood of insects.

Fly elnitsa-bee

Ilnitsy-bee-bee species belong to the family of hoverflies, only they do not look like wasps, but like bees. They have a rather large body - on average, 1.5 cm in length, the abdomen is rather "chubby" than these flies and resemble bees. The body is brown in color with large reddish-yellow spots on the sides. Unlike other flies, silt flies are covered with very fine hairs - even the eyes and limbs are covered with hair.

Another name for bee silt is tenacious silt

Bee-eaters live near plants with strongly smelling flowers, the nectar of which they feed on. Adults are absolutely harmless to both humans and insects, so there is no point in specifically breeding them, and there is also nothing special to destroy them.

Ilnitsy lay their eggs in various sewage, so getting eggs or larvae into the human body (for example, from unwashed hands or food) can lead to infection with intestinal diseases (for example, enteritis).

The larva is born 18–48 hours after laying eggs, its body length reaches two centimeters, but the special breathing tube with which the worm breathes can stretch as much as 10 cm. This is due to the fact that the larvae live in sewage, and breathe only clean air.

The silt flies are most active from July to October; in cold weather, these flies hibernate.

The bee has a more hairy and segmented body

Since only the eggs and larvae of the bee fly can harm a person, wash your hands thoroughly after coming from the street, rinse the food and make sure that rotting household waste does not accumulate at home, where the silt could lay its eggs.

Ktyri are large predatory flies that destroy other insects: mosquitoes, midges, beetles and even bees. They feed exclusively on flying organisms, do not harm either a person or his crop, so the ktyrs should not be scared away or even destroyed - although they are ugly in appearance, they are good helpers in the fight against pests and blood-sucking insects.

Ktyr can fight even with a hornet

These flies look really not very attractive: a small dark brown body completely covered with hairs, huge brown eyes, a sting with poison that they inject into their prey. Incredibly long compared to the body, the limbs are also covered with hairs. It is with them that the ktyri catch their prey in the air. Long powerful wings of dark brown color with small light stripes help to keep themselves and their prey in flight.

Ktyrs lay their eggs in various decaying materials: wood, soil, and so on. As soon as the larvae appear from the eggs, they immediately begin to destroy small insects that are nearby. Often one larva becomes a victim of another (and an adult can eat its own kind).

Ktyrs live, like all flies, for 2–2.5 months, they are active in the warm season. They are found in cities, and in gardens, and away from people.

The tsetse fly is the most dangerous fly on the entire planet Earth, which lives, fortunately, in Africa. She is a carrier of the so-called sleeping sickness, from which one can die if timely medical assistance is not provided. This fly feeds exclusively on the blood of animals and humans.

Bernhard Grzimek (zoologist and conservationist) in his book “There is no place for wild animals” said that it was thanks to the tsetse fly in equatorial Africa that habitats of large wild animals were preserved, almost untouched by humans.

The female gives birth to larvae, which immediately become pupae, in a dark place, closer to the soil. It is there that the pupae will develop for several days until they turn into adults.

the tsetse fly is very beautiful, although the color of its back is unremarkable - gray

Tsetse flies are unusually beautiful: the chest of the insect is reddish-gray, covered with longitudinal dark brown stripes, a yellow-gray abdomen, a gray back with a black and milky pattern, a long branched proboscis, transparent powerful wings, which the insect folds one on top of the other and on which it is clearly visible coffee color drawing. But do not be fascinated by this creature - they are dangerous for humans.

The wings of the tsetse fly have an unusual "hatchet" pattern.

If you go to Africa, be sure to get vaccinated against sleeping sickness.

We are surrounded by countless different insects: some of them harm humans, some, on the contrary, help with various pests and save the crop. You need to be able to distinguish friends among all insects and not kill them, but create favorable conditions for their life. Chemical agents, of course, are better at destroying various insects, including aphids, but they are not as safe for humans as, for example, hoverflies. Use those helpers that nature itself gives you.

Wasps are famous for their bright colors, aggressive behavior, love of sugary foods and painful stings. However, in nature there is an insect similar to a wasp, the characteristics of which are directly opposite. The only thing that connects him with a stinging creature is his appearance. Otherwise, it is quite a harmless and peaceful creation.

Why do insects imitate wasps

Wasps, in order to feed and raise their offspring, are forced to hunt. They are able to attack even insects, which are inferior in size. Powerful jaws and poison, which they inject into their prey, help them cope with the prey. Due to the predatory characteristics of wasps, many representatives of the fauna are afraid of them and prefer to stay away from dangerous predators. This was taken advantage of by weaker imitators.

There is also a hypothesis, confirmed by research, that some insects that mimic wasps, camouflage color protects them directly from the models themselves. A vivid example of this: the predatory South American wasps and the peaceful scoop butterflies that exactly imitate them, which not every specialist can distinguish. In the course of observations, it was noticed that the wasps did not attack their own kind.

There are many insects similar to wasps in the world. Consider the most interesting and prominent representatives.

hover flies

Hoverflies, they are also sirphids, are a large family in which there are about 6,000 species. Some of them look more like bees, others look like wasps, others look like bumblebees. They live everywhere, with the exception of Antarctica, desert regions and tundra. They got their name because of the characteristic sound made by the wings.

Interesting! Sirfidologists study hoverflies. They even hold special symposiums dedicated to fly research.

A striped insect similar to a wasp, absolutely harmless to humans. Often it can be found on plantings of dill, carrots, parsley, flowering plants in the garden. Adult hoverflies feed exclusively on flower nectar, pollen and take pride of place among pollinating insects.

What do hoverfly larvae eat?

Syrphid larvae look like small leeches. They are distinguished by a wrinkled body of a yellow or greenish color. They have no legs and are not particularly mobile. They feed on aphids, insect eggs, spider mites, which bring considerable benefits to agricultural land. A caring syrphid mother lays her eggs directly in the aphid habitat.

The period of development of the hoverfly larva lasts 15-20 days. Young individuals are very voracious and by the end of growing up they eat up to 200 aphids, and in general they destroy about 2000 small insects in their life.

However, not all hoverfly larvae prefer to see garden pests on the menu. Food habits of all species are very diverse. Some of them are purely vegetarian and eat only plant tissue. The most exotic representatives process manure or wood.

Butterflies in the form of wasps

A large insect that looks like a wasp may turn out to be quite ordinary. However, not only this is remarkable in the air fluttering creatures. Most of them have transparent wings. And if not for the contrasting edging, it would be impossible to visually determine the presence of wings.

The most common species in the European part are poplar, currant, apple. With the wasp, the insect associates an exceptionally bright yellow striped color of the body and the manner of flight. Otherwise, it is a typical garden pest. The female lays her eggs under bark scales near the kidneys. After a few days, caterpillars appear from them, which gnaw holes in the shoots and penetrate deep into the plant. They gnaw out the core, gradually descending to the base of a tree or bush. After wintering, they continue to eat the plant from the inside.

And although an insect that looks like a wasp does not bite a person, the harm from it is significant. The offspring is inside the trunks, branches, therefore, it is necessary to deal with the pest that has appeared only in a radical way - by pruning and destroying the affected areas.

An interesting picture is the mating games of glass butterflies. The males gather in a circle near the female and begin to flutter around the lady, as if surprising her with their abilities and showing themselves in all their glory. The female can only choose the individual she likes.

Insect imitators

A black insect that looks like a wasp is a predator. Outwardly, it has much in common with predatory road wasps, capable of hunting even poisonous spiders.

Unlike its predecessors, the predator does not need to mimic wasps. He himself belongs to predators, feeds on insects, larvae. Some tropical species have a preference for human or mammalian blood. They spend the day in hiding, go hunting at night. They are distinguished by remarkable endurance and are able to wait for their prey for several hours.

At the sight of prey, the predatory bug makes a sharp lunge, sticks its proboscis and injects poisonous enzymes. Further, it is already a matter of technology and it is not difficult for an insect to cope with an immobilized object. Similarly, the process of hunting takes place in the road wasp.

It is impossible not to mention another black insect that looks like a wasp. This is a representative of the longhorn beetle Plagionotus. Its dark body is generously showered with yellow spots, stripes, which allows the beetle to sit imposingly in flowers without fear of competition from wasps or bees.

The striped beetle feeds on nectar and takes part in the pollination of flowers. In case of danger, it begins to quickly flap its wings, thereby enhancing the resemblance to a wasp.