16 Wednesday Oct 2024
Posted in insects
The aphid-eating hoverfly larva (likely one of the Syrphus species) missed its chance here. As you’ll see, though, the ladybird was more on the ball and the aphid lost its second chance.
(I’ve set the video to mute as this park railing is next to a very busy road but I’m not sure that setting has worked, so best to mute your sound before viewing the video.)
14 Wednesday Dec 2022
Posted in insects
Tags
British springtails, harlequin ladybird, hoverfly larvae, ladybirds, springtail, Syrphus sp larvae, Syrphus species
Last week, before our current cold snap (though we’ve had no snow, it was -8C in the bitter easterly wind today), I was amazed at how many insects I found on and around a black metal fence that borders a local park.
I was initially checking for hoverfly larvae, as I was alerted a couple of years back to the fact that they can often be found on fences and other objects under trees like Sycamore – I think they fall when the leaves fall, then stay on the fence rails gobbling up any aphids that also fall. The four hoverfly larvae I found (shown below the lovely blue-bodied fly) are all from the Syrphus genus (but it’s not possible to identify them to species level), but I was surprised to also find an abundance of Springtails and more than 20 ladybirds, almost all Harlequin. I don’t know why the fence attracted them all – it felt cold to the touch but perhaps the black paint meant the surface was warm when the sun did actually shine.
06 Tuesday Sep 2022
Tags
British hoverflies, hoverfly larvae, hoverfly larvae on Wild parsnip, Melangyna sp larvae, Melangyna species, Syrphus sp larvae, Syrphus species, Wild parsnip
Today’s focus is on one of the smaller things in life, specifically every gardener’s friend, one of the aphid munchers, the hoverfly larva.
In fact, not just one larva, but many, and from more than one species, feasting on aphid-infested Wild parsnip plants. The larvae in the photos above have been identified as being one of the Syrphus species of hoverfly, while those below, according to an expert, are probably Melangyna compositarum agg / umbelltarum. All would need rearing to adulthood for more precise identification.
It’s worth checking the stems, leaves, seedheads of plants with aphid infestations as hoverfly larvae are almost certain to be lurking there somewhere.
06 Saturday Nov 2021
Tags
British hoverflies, hoverfly larva, hoverfly larva on Sycamore, insects on Sycamore, sycamore, Syrphus sp larvae, Syrphus species
We’ve seen the Godzilla of hoverfly larvae, one of the Dasysyrphus species, and, back in February 2020, I featured my very first hoverfly larva, one of the Platycheirus family, and then in September we saw the larva and adult of Scaeva pyrastri. However, I haven’t yet shown you the larvae I see most often, those of the Syrphus species of hoverfly.
I usually find these on Sycamore leaves, the undersides of which are home to thriving families of aphids, the hoverfly larvae’s favourite food. Occasionally, I’ve found larvae on the tops of leaves or on branches, perhaps on the move to a new leaf. And yesterday, on Twitter, I saw a short video by my go-to hoverfly larvae expert on the various species of hoverfly larvae he had found on gravestones under Sycamore trees in his local cemetery. I’ll be checking out that idea during one of next week’s nature walks. Meantime, try turning over some Sycamore leaves – you never know what might be lurking underneath.
