I have quite a lot of these and whereas they do look somewhat like yellow jackets (ugh!) they are small, I'd say about 3/8" to maybe a little less than 1/2" long… Usually YJs are bigger. What do you think? They are really hard to get a photo of as they move very fast and seldom alight on anything.
Any help appreciated. Praying they are not some new smaller YJ! They don't chase after you like the YJs do…
you can sorta see scale by the pine needles in this photo
TIA, Sterling
Syrphid fly (aka flower/hover fly) - beneficial. Adults pollinate, larvae feed on aphids, etc.
thanks so much - I sure hated the idea of a new kind of yellow jacket...
I like the description too:
Is the Syrphid Fly a Good Bug or a Bad Bug?
This guy is good! Not only are they great pollinators, but the little maggots are real pigs when it comes to munching aphids.
Adults lay eggs on aphid infested leaves and within 2 or 3 days, a tiny green maggot hatches. These little maggots are blind so they have to tap their head around until they find an aphid. Then a hook comes out, grabs the aphid, and pulls it against its mouth to suck the juice right out. The maggots are tiny when they first hatch, but after 3 or 4 weeks of feeding, they are almost too fat to balance on a leaf. They then drop to the soil where they pupate emerging as adults in about 2 weeks.
You should see syphid flies hovering about in the summer. You'll probably say, "I always wondered what those weird bees are."
Pollen or nectar rich plants such as yarrow, lovage or fennel will help attract syrphid flies to your yard.
