No, I’ve not gone rogue and deviated from my usual subject of nature 😂. By hovercraft, I mean the craft of helping hoverflies…
With over 280 species of hoverflies recorded in the UK, I can’t pretend that I am able to identify all of them! Only about 40 are observed frequently, and they can be quite tricky too, as some migrate from other countries.
Hoverflies are excellent mimics, completely harmless, yet often look like invertebrates that can sting (i.e. hornets, bees and wasps). This is to ward off predators, and let me tell you, it works! I’ve been fooled more than once myself, especially by the larger ones. Size-wise, they can range from around a tiddly 4mm to a whopping 2cm!
If you aren’t sure, the best way to tell is by looking at the wings. Unlike bees, who have two sets of wings, hoverflies have only one pair. To help them balance they instead have what’s called ‘halteres’. These little feeler-type organs work in sync with the wings to help them balance as they manoeuvre and swerve through the air.
If you get up close and personal with hoverflies, you can even work out the gender. Not that up close and personal though 😅! It’s all in the eyes, phew! Females have smaller eyes which sit apart; males have larger ones which touch.
And, of course, the title of this blog post wouldn’t mention pollinators if hoverflies weren’t great at just that! They hang out at around 52% of crops worldwide and are crucial to food security and, therefore, our existence. Not only do they pollinate as adults whilst feeding on nectar, but as larvae they chomp on aphids, thrips, and other such pests who happily drink the life force (sap) from a variety of plants. Not only that, but non-predatory larvae feed on decaying organic matter, so they help us out there too!
Sadly, these gardeners’ and farmers’ friends made it onto the ICUN Red List of Threatened Species three years ago; there has been approximately a 44% decline in hoverflies over the last 45 years.
But friendship is a two-way street. So, what can we do to help them in return?
If you check out my blog Bee friendly to pollinators Part 2: Picking Your Plants you can get some inspiration for your garden, balcony, or windowsill. Don’t be disheartened about small outdoor spaces, just cram the pollinator-friendly plants in to provide an all you can eat smorgasbord fit for, well, a hoverfly or twenty! I discuss wildflowers and extending the flowering season further in my first blog of the pollinator series, Bee Friendly To Pollinators: Part 1.
While a food source is important, what hoverflies need most is to reproduce. You can assist them here too (don’t worry, another phew moment will be heading your way very soon 🤣).
Some hoverflies lay their eggs on aphid-infested vegetation, whilst others use water. Aquatic egg layers love stagnant water, such as collected in rotten tree trunks. The larvae tend to pupate in soil, log piles, and shrubs, so providing these habitats is also beneficial to them.
Nothing like this in your garden? Don’t worry, because you don’t even need a pond. You can create your very own hoverfly lagoon; all you need is a receptacle of your choice (watertight, obviously 😉), then simply add some vegetation and water.
As the vegetation starts to decay, your lagoon will become more and more inviting to hoverflies. If you’d like to see one in action, there’s a great project from The University of Sussex’s Buzz Club which runs from May to October (you can join at any point though). This year, they are interested in how garden ponds affect the recruitment of hoverflies to hoverfly lagoons: Hoverfly Lagoons | Buzz Club.
Last but not least, hydrating is important for all living things, no matter the amount of legs. So if you’d like to make a convenient little watering hole for insects, check out how over here!
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