Bug FAQBlack-shouldered Drone Fly
Eristalis dimidiata · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers, while the larvae are aquatic filter-feeders with a rat-tailed shape.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The wings have a dark, opaque area near the base (the humeral cells) and are otherwise clear, sometimes with a faint spot in the middle. Most of the body is black, the wing tips are clear, and the rear edges of the abdominal segments are white.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives mainly in forested areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen. Larvae are aquatic filter-feeders with a rat-tailed form.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It is among the first hoverflies to fly in spring and probably overwinters as an adult.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In southern regions it can be seen all year, while farther north it is active from late March to mid-November.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 43 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Maine, Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eristalis_dimidiata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.