We seem to have had a real plague of these this summer, but many people don't realise that despite their 'warning colours', these dainty wasp and bee mimics that we so freely encountered flitting from one flower to another wherever we turned or hovering stock-still in mid-air, are in fact completely harmless, friends to be welcomed.
Yes, despite their resemblance to wasps, they don't bite or sting. If picked up in your fingers, they just buzz suddenly and loudly to startle you!!
About 250 species reside in Britain, varying in length from about 1/4 to 11/4" and they are usually black with yellow, orange or brown markings. The most common species Episyrphus balteatus has double black bands. In many species males have large eyes that touch on top of the head, though the females have separated eyes.
Though quite similar to bees and wasps there are distinct differences too. Hoverflies have only one pair of large wings, but bees and wasps have a second smaller pair too. Bees and wasps have pointed tongues and large jaws, whereas hoverflies have a tongue with a knob at its end (not that we get to see this easily!). However we must all have noticed the amazing, perfect hovering ability of the hoverflies, something few other flies possess. They also tend to be slightly smaller, slimmer perhaps, though some bumble bee mimics are actually furry!
They can be found throughout the British Isle, in all types of gardens, enjoying a wide range of lifestyles. Most of the black and yellow ones we are familiar with are aphid feeders as larvae. Some breed in rotten wood, compost, dung, puddles, etc., feeding on decaying matter, usefully recycling nutrients. Others scavenge in bee, wasp or ant nests. Adults go for pollen and nectar, thus assisting pollination.
So, definitely beneficial to us, 'garden goodies', with adults pollinating flowers and larvae scavenging in debris and compost heaps and better still, gulping down our troublesome aphids!
Don't persecute them just because they look like wasps! CD 1997