A Hover Fly, Not a Bee

May 28, 2010

A hover fly, not a bee.

Passersby admiring the gazania blooming outside the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis, might think that all the insects that frequent the golden flowers are bees.

Not.

Hover flies, aka syrphids or flower flies, also find the gazania quite attractive.

A member of the Aster family and native to South Africa, the gazania is a drought-tolerant ground cover.

Perfect for bees.

Perfect for hover flies.

By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Author - Communications specialist
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Attached Images:

HOVER FLY, aka flower fly, foraging on gazania outside the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. The hover fly is often mistaken for a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hover Fly

CLOSE-UP of hover fly on a gazania, a drought-tolerant ground cover native to South Africa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garey)

Close-Up