Spring epistrophe

Epistrophe eligans

Eats: Nectar and pollen Flies and mosquitoesGardens and meadows6 legs

The spring epistrophe is a hoverfly from Europe. It is dressed in black and yellow like a little wasp, but it cannot sting. It zooms from flower to flower in spring and early summer.

Lives in

Europe, from southern Sweden to Spain and east to the Caucasus, in woods, parks and gardens

Top speed

about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)

Flying, estimate

Can it hurt you?

Harmless

Harmless. It only looks like a wasp, but it has no sting at all.

What does it eat?

The grown-up flies visit lots of flowers, like hawthorn, holly and blackthorn. The larvae eat aphids on shrubs and trees.

Photo of Spring epistrophe — Picture by Pjt56. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)

A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)

Spring epistrophe about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)

A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)

cool stuff

Fun facts

Its wings are only about 6 to 9.5 millimetres long.

It flies from April to June, which is why it is called the spring epistrophe.

Its babies are tiny aphid hunters that help keep shrubs and trees healthy.

you asked

Most asked questions about Spring epistrophe

?Can the spring epistrophe sting?

No. It is a hoverfly, and hoverflies have no sting. The yellow and black colours just make birds think it is a wasp.

?What does the spring epistrophe eat?

The adults drink from flowers, and the larvae eat aphids on trees and bushes.

For bug experts

Scientific name: Epistrophe eligans
Group: Flies and mosquitoes
Family: Syrphidae
Classification: Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
Lives on: Europe, Asia

Where the facts come from

Epistrophe eligans (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 Pjt56. CC BY 4.0, 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.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip