Hoverflies

Images on this and the following page were primarily taken in my garden, in west Surrey, or in the Harris Garden. The Harris Garden is the University of Reading's botanical garden, which has a section devoted to wild flowers each summer. I have included a brief identification note which outlines the key differences between the species shown and similar species, and I hope that the images will help in the identification of common hoverfly species.

Hoverflies are common members of the Diptera; larvae develop in a range of habitats (many are aphid predators), and adults feed on nectar and pollen, so they are frequently seen on flowers, but they also feed on the honeydew produced by hemipterans, such as aphids. The aphid predators play an important role in the biological control of these pests. They are a distinctive group, and with a small amount of effort it is easy to learn how to identify many of the common species.

Hoverflies are a fantastic group of insects; they are active, interesting and rewarding to study. Over 270 species have been recorded in the UK If you wish to learn to identify hoverflies, a good place to start is Francis Gilbert's book Hoverflies, one of the Naturalists' Handbook series (Cambridge University Press), and take part in the Hoverfly Recording Scheme. For complete coverage, Stubbs and Falk's book, British Hoverflies (published by the BENHS), is the definitive text.