Monday, June 16, 2014

Aphids and Syrphids

This is the first of my (hopefully many) Instagram updates. I was working in our common garden today when I noticed these colonies of red aphids on a weedy plant in one of our pots. While trying to get a decent photo I noticed a couple of different hoverfly species ovipositing (laying eggs) near the aphids. Hoverflies belong to the family of flies named Syrphidae, and their larvae are common aphid predators; adults mostly feed on flower nectar and pollen. I managed to identify this particular species of hoverfly as Toxomerus politus (thanks to the great website of Bugguide) but I can't confirm the aphid or host plant species from the photographs I have.

No comments: