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Sticker of Common dainty
Bug card No. 1028 of 4,939

Common dainty

Baccha elongata
Eats: Nectar and pollenFlies and mosquitoesGardens and meadows6 legs

The common dainty is one of the thinnest hoverflies you can find. Its long, slim black body ends in a little club with yellow spots. It drifts quietly through shady spots close to the ground.

Lives in
Most of Europe and North America, in woods, hedges and gardens
Length
0.7 to 1.1 cm (0.28 to 0.43 in)
Top speed
about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Hoverflies cannot sting or bite.
What does it eat?
The grown-ups eat pollen and nectar from flowers. The larvae hunt aphids on low plants.
For real!Photo of Common dainty
Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Common dainty about 1.1 cm long (0.43 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)
as long as 2 grains of rice in a rowcould fly across a whole football pitch in 27 secondsmoves 350 times its own body length every second

How big is Common dainty compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It is easy to overlook because it is so small and quiet.

2

You can tell a male because his big eyes meet on top of his head, while the female's eyes are apart.

3

It spends the winter as a larva.

4

It has two families a year, flying from spring to autumn.

you asked

Most asked questions about Common dainty

?Does the common dainty sting?

No. It is a hoverfly and cannot sting.

?What does the common dainty eat?

The adults eat pollen and nectar, and the larvae eat aphids.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Baccha elongata
Group
Flies and mosquitoes
Family
Syrphidae
Classification
Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
Lives on
Europe, North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Baccha elongata (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Hectonichus. 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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