Narrow-headed marsh fly
The narrow-headed marsh fly is a hoverfly with a black body and big yellow spots. It looks a bit like a bee, but it is a harmless fly. It can hang almost perfectly still in the air, like a tiny helicopter.
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Fun facts
Hoverflies are also called flower flies, because you often see them on flowers.
The mother lays her eggs on plants hanging over water. When the larvae hatch, they drop into the water.
Its larvae help clean up by living in rotting plants, mud and manure.
Its thorax has pale yellow stripes along the sides.
Most asked questions about Narrow-headed marsh fly
?Can the narrow-headed marsh fly sting?
No. It is a harmless hoverfly. Its yellow and black colours just make it look like a bee.
?What does the narrow-headed marsh fly eat?
Nectar and pollen from flowers.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Helophilus fasciatus
- Named by
- Walker, 1849
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Syrphidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Helophilus fasciatus (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 Judy Gallagher. CC BY 2.0, 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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