Marmalade hoverfly
The marmalade hoverfly is a small fly with orange and black stripes on its body, a bit like marmalade. It looks like a wasp, but it is a harmless fly. It can hover in the air like a tiny helicopter, standing still in one spot.
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Fun facts
It is the most common hoverfly in Central Europe.
In autumn some fly all the way from northern Europe to southern Europe and North Africa to find warmer weather.
When they travel, some fly almost 1 kilometre up in the sky and pick good winds to help them.
Males have big eyes that touch on top of their heads.
It is an important pollinator and helps flowers make seeds and fruit.
Most asked questions about Marmalade hoverfly
?Can a marmalade hoverfly sting?
No. It only looks like a wasp. It is a harmless fly with no stinger.
?What does a marmalade hoverfly eat?
The adults drink nectar and eat pollen. The larvae eat aphids.
?Why does the marmalade hoverfly look like a wasp?
Its orange and black stripes trick birds into thinking it can sting, so they leave it alone.
Myth buster
Myth: The marmalade hoverfly is a wasp and will sting you.
Truth: No. It is a fly wearing wasp colours to fool birds. It has no stinger at all.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Episyrphus balteatus
- Named by
- De Geer, 1776
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Syrphidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia, Africa
Where the facts come from
- Episyrphus balteatus (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 Charles J. Sharp. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same 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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