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Hoverfly Volucella zonaria on a mission. She flew a bit further down the garden and landed on a tree peony leaf which overhangs a wasp's nest in the ground( top right). She stayed there a while.
Focus stacked using zerene
Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus on camelia bud. It was obviously on the shrub when In sprayed it with sugar/honey solution.
Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.
Aphids alone cause tens of millions of dollars of damage to crops worldwide every year; because of this, aphidophagous hoverflies are being recognized as important natural enemies of pests, and potential agents for use in biological control. Some adult syrphid flies are important pollinators.
About 6,000 species in 200 genera have been described. Hoverflies are common throughout the world and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Hoverflies are harmless to most other animals despite their mimicry of more dangerous wasps and bees, which serves to ward off predators.
Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.
Aphids alone cause tens of millions of dollars of damage to crops worldwide every year; because of this, aphid-feeding hoverflies are being recognized as important natural enemies of pests, and potential agents for use in biological control. Some adult syrphid flies are important pollinators.
About 6,000 species in 200 genera have been described. Hoverflies are common throughout the world and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Hoverflies are harmless to most other animals despite their mimicry of the black and yellow stripes of wasps, which serves to ward off predators.
食蚜蝇：双翅目环裂亚目食蚜蝇科的通称。全世界已知5000种，其中分布于新热带界的种类最多。中国已知300余种。
双翅目(Diptera) 食蚜蝇科(Syrphidae)昆虫，约4,000种。常在花中悬飞。有黄色斑纹，形似黄蜂或蜜蜂，但不螫人。与其他蝇的区别在于翅上有与第4纵脉平行的一条假脉。有的形小而细瘦(如Baccha属)，有的形大，似熊蜂，黄黑相间，多毛(如Criorhina属)。许多种的幼虫(如Syrphus americanus及Allograpta obligae)食蚜虫，在化蛹前一只幼虫要吸数百只蚜虫的体液。幼虫还在授粉上起重要作用。水仙球蝇(Merodon equestris或Lampetia equestris)和葱瘤食蚜蝇(Eumerus tuberculatus)在水仙洋葱等的鳞茎、球茎内钻孔为害。Microdon属的幼虫生活在蚁巢、白蚁巢内，Volucella属的幼虫生活於熊蜂巢中，其他属的幼虫生活於腐败的植被中。蜂蝇(Eristalis tenax)的幼虫(鼠尾蛆)生活在阴沟和污水中，後端有一条可伸缩的呼吸管。
Hoverfly with it's next landing destination in it's sights. not bad mid air capture considering a modest 1/400 sec expo time.
Hoverfly, male Xanthogramma pedissequum having a rest between territorial flights. Natural light. 2 shot focus stack using zerene
Hoverflies Helophilus pendulus . First I've seen this species this year and never seen a mating pair before
you may find this link intresting - www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artmay07/cd-hoverflies.html
Hover Flies ( known in America as Flower Flies ) belong to a large family of small to big flies. They are true flies or Diptera, with only one pair of wings in the Family Syrphidae. ( Wasps and bees have two pairs ).
Hoverflies have spots, bands or stripes, of yellow, brown against a dark-coloured background, sometimes with dense hair covering the body surface (emulating furry bumble bees). Their fast flight, motionless flight and, in some species, their size are astonishing feats. Some Hovers are among the biggest flies of Central Europe. Many species are very colorful. It is not always that easy to identify hover flies. Some thick-headed flies and bee flies are similar and dark coloration makes it hard to identify them correctly at a glance. Bee flies tend to be longer hairy, have snouts and are a study in themselves!
Hovering is a speciality although other flies can also hover - the head of the insect remains absolutely still whilst in flight. They may be seen "Nectaring" on many wild and garden flowers where they are amongst the most frquent of visitors. In Holland and Belgium alone over 300 species exist!. In Britain About 270 species are known at present, but significant species and numbers can migrate like butterflies with powerful flight such as the Red admiral or Painted lady.The Marmalade FlyEpisyrphus balteatus is one of the most common hoverflies to be seen in the garden. The distinctive double stripes on the abdomen make it almost unmistakable.
Many are seen in the summer season in number mixing with butterflies, bees, bumble bees and other flower dependent insects. Male Hovers tend to enmerege and mature first, earlier in the season to ensure reproduction is sucessful. Many species are useful to the gardener since their larvae eat pest aphids on garden plants and crops.The degree to which they contribute to pollination is also ironically poorly investigated but no doubt are important for Carrot, Onion and fruit Trees
A hoverfly on a leaf
D300s - Nikon AF Nikkor 28-70mm 1:3.5-4.5 D with 50mm f1.7 reversed, manually focused and lit with homemade ringflash
These hoverflies hover in one place for a second or so and then rush to the next spot with amazing speed. I had of course also noticed the many swallows in the garden. So here I was happily snapping at this hoverfly.. focus, re-focus, re-focus again. And then, looking through my viewfinder, I heard a slight whir and my image suddenly went green. It took me a second to realize that a swallow had just snatched the hoverfly some 30 centimeters in front of me.. by the time I looked up, it was 30 meters away already. Their speed (and accuracy) is amazing! And no, I did not manage to capture the moment on photo. Who knows one day.. sigh.
São Roque de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.