In praise of hoverflies
by Lewis, 24 May, 2020, 1 comments
The hoverfly is so named because it does hover, its flight path is somewhat hesitant, moving along in a sort of zig-zag at times; it is sometimes mistaken for a bee or a wasp due to its colour and 'stripes'. There are roughly some 6,000 species of hoverflies. Hoverflies are to be found on every continent with exception of Antarctica (plus some small, remote islands); and in many different biomes .
Like bees and bumblebees, hoverflies are pollinators but bees and bumblebees have had a ‘better press’ - known as being important for the pollination of many fruit and crop species. Now Dr. Wotton and his team [at Exeter University] suggest that hoverflies are sometimes more effective pollinators than bumblebees / bees and that their role in fertilising crops might have been underestimated. It is thought that hoverflies could prove to be useful pollinators where bees do not ‘perform’ well; i.e. outside of mediterranean or temperate habitats / climates, where temperatures are lower. The flies carry pollen over considerable distances and may visit isolated plants. Read more...
