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Family Syrphidae
- This page contains pictures and information about Common Hover
Flies that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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 - Body length 10mm
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Common Hover Flies may sometimes confused with bees or wasps because of their
mimic colour. Their bodies are medium to slender. On their abdomen there
are the yellow-black wasps pattern and the narrow waist mimic pattern.
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Common
Hover Flies visit flowers as bees and wasps. They are usually seen
hovering or resting on flowers. The flies feed on nectar and are the
pollinators of plants as well.
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  - Common
Hover Fly rests on stick during the evening.
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- We sometimes find this Hover fly hovering among the hibiscus plants in our
backyard searching for aphids. Their larvae are the predator of aphids.
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- We
found that the Hover Flies could be parasited by Ichneumon Wasp. More
information found in the Ichneumon Wasp
page.
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Hover Fly Life Cycle
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  - Male
and female
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- After mating, female Common Hover
Fly look for the good site to lay her eggs. Usually somewhere near the aphids
feeding place.
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- Larvae feeding on aphids, body length 10mm.
length 12mm
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- Aphid-eating hover fly larvae are legless and maggot-like. They are
creamy-white to brown in colour, the above picture shows the larvae is
searching its prey in a aphids colony.
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Pupa, length 8mm
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- They pupate on the stem of plants
which is dark brown in colour.
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Just came out from
pupa became adult
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- They turn into adults in about a week. The
adults are yellow and black in colour look like bees or a wasps. They have the
typical fly head with large pair of red compound eyes and very short antenna.
Adults look for mate and start the new life cycle.
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- Reference:
- 1. Wildlife
of Tropical North Queensland - Queensland Museum Publications 2000,
p106.
- 2. Ischiodon
scutellaris (Fabricius)
- www.aphidweb.com, 2008.
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