Oblique-banded pond fly
The oblique-banded pond fly is a hoverfly from North America. It is black with yellow bands, so it looks a bit like a wasp, but it is a harmless fly. You can often see it hovering in the air near flowers.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Hoverflies can stay still in the air in one spot, like a tiny helicopter.
The yellow bands are brighter on females than on males.
The larvae of its group are called rat-tailed maggots, because they have a long breathing tube at the back like a tail.
Most asked questions about Oblique-banded pond fly
?Is the oblique-banded pond fly a wasp?
No. It is a hoverfly. It only looks a bit like a wasp and has no sting.
?What does the oblique-banded pond fly eat?
Nectar and pollen from flowers.
Myth buster
Myth: It is a wasp.
Truth: No. It is a fly. It has only two wings and no sting, even if its yellow and black bands make it look a bit like a wasp.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Sericomyia chrysotoxoides
- Named by
- Macquart, 1842
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Syrphidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Sericomyia chrysotoxoides (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 [1]. 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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