Thank your Flower Flies

Flower flies, otherwise known as hover flies or syrphid flies, are common visitors in gardens, but because some of them, like this one, closely resemble bees in coloring and size, they may often go unrecognized.

This flower fly, an Eristalis arbustorum, is one of the most common in gardens.

It is feeding on the nectar of a cluster of flowers on a naked buckwheat plant.

The larvae of some species of flower flies feed on aphids and thrips, while others eat decaying plant and animal matter in soil, ponds and streams. Since aphids cause damage to crops, flower flies are invaluable in the garden and on farms.

Keep planting native plants in your garden, and you will attract flower flies and lady bugs.

They will take care of the aphid population.