Pied Hoverfly (Scaeva Pyrastri)



My, what big eyes you have? In fact this hoverfly is a bit starey!

This is a hoverfly I do not have to rush off and get my book to identify. Whilst many hoverflies or wasp mimics and are yellow and black Scaeva Pyrastra is clearly black and white and the only hoverfly with these markings.

It is a relatively large and conspicuous hoverfly that can be found on flowers almost anywhere, including gardens, on waste ground, meadows, hedgerows and woodland edges and rides.

It is quite common but its numbers are often boosted in July and August by immigration and in some years there seem to be many more than in others.

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