Biocontrol Agent Profile

This is another flower fly, or hover fly, common throughout much of the southern US.  The adults are distinctive with their wasp-like 'waist'. The larvae bear tufts of bristles and larval coloration can vary with the color of their aphid prey. Like most syrphid flies, they are very efficient at finding and laying eggs on aphid colonies in early stages, but the adults require access to floral resources to forage effectively.