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Gardening with a Purpose: Flower Flies - and Wasps [1]
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Date: 2023-09-07
This past season I have been documenting pollinating insects in my yard and neighborhood in Eugene, OR. I’ve mostly noted bees — a lot of bees! — and some butterflies. But I have also discovered flies and wasps feeding on nectar and pollen. Many are called hoverflies from their ability to hover in mid-air. Some resemble bees to deter predators.
Flies are in fact important pollinators. From the website Discover Pollinators
https://discoverpollinators.org/wp-content/cache/all/all-about-pollinators/flies/index.html
‘True flies are grouped together in the insect group Diptera, which means ‘two wings’. There are over 150,000 known species of flies in the world. They can be found in most habitats and are numerous in number. Many different kinds of flies visit flowers for nectar, pollen, to lay eggs, or to feed on other smaller insects that may be on the plant. They are important pollinators of many plants. Even common houseflies and bluebottles that we find annoying are important pollinators of crops like mango and avocado. The most important fly pollinators include hover flies in the family Syrphidae. They have stripes on their abdomen that mimic honeybees and are often mistaken for bees. Hoverflies are important pollinators of carrots, avocado, and a number of other crops. Chocolate is made from the seeds of cacao trees, whose flowers can only be pollinated by specialised midges (part of the Order Diptera—the ‘True Flies’). Without these tiny flies that are normally found in tropical rainforest, there would be no chocolate available for us to eat!’
I’ve found several species of pollinating flies in my urban garden. Flies can be distinguished from bees by their large ‘bug’ eyes and very short antennae.
A Green Blowfly on Oregon Sunshine, a native aster. While blowfly larvae dine on carcasses, the adults favor flower nectar. Note the very large red eyes and short antennae.
A species of Greater Bee Fly on Baby Blue Eyes, a Western native wildflower. The short antennae shows it is definitely a fly, not a bee, although it does look a bit like a bumblebee.
A European Drone Fly, another hoverfly, feeding on Oregon Sunshine. Big eyes, cute little antennae.
A fuzzy Narcissus Bulb Fly, also a hoverfly, on a marigold flower. The hairy body cleverly mimics a stinging bumblebee. The adults feed on flower nectar, while the larvae consume tissues of flower bulbs such as narcissus.
And even wasps get into the pollinating act:
A Great Golden Digger Wasp on milkweed in a neighbor’s yard. These fairly large wasps are common across North America. While the adults feed on flowers, they nourish their young with paralyzed grasshoppers and crickets.
A Mexican grass-carrying wasp feeding on Pearly Everlasting, a native aster. These wasps line the inside of their hollow nests with grass fragments or other plant fibers.
A wasp in the genus Prionyx on Pearly Everlasting. Like Digger Wasps, these also feed their larvae with paralyzed grasshoppers.
What interesting insects — or other fauna - have you found in your habitats?
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