Broad-banded aphideater
The broad-banded aphideater is a hoverfly, a fly with yellow and black bands like a wasp. It can hang in the air in one spot, and then zoom off in a flash.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Its larvae are helpful in gardens, because they eat aphids, the tiny bugs that suck sap from plants.
It visits many flowers, such as dandelions, buttercups, coltsfoot and willows.
It lives across a huge area, from Ireland through Europe and Siberia to India and North America.
Each of its wings is only about 6.5 to 8.5 millimetres long.
Most asked questions about Broad-banded aphideater
?Does the broad-banded aphideater sting?
No. It is a hoverfly, and flies have no sting.
?What does the broad-banded aphideater eat?
The grown-ups drink flower nectar, and the larvae eat aphids.
Myth buster
Myth: This yellow and black insect is a wasp, so it will sting.
Truth: It is a hoverfly. Flies have no sting, so it is harmless.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Eupeodes latifasciatus
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Syrphidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia, North America
Where the facts come from
- Eupeodes latifasciatus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by James K. Lindsey. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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