Bug FAQCommon Bog Fly
Parhelophilus laetus · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Also called: Curran's Bog Fly
The Common Bog Fly is a syrphid fly that occurs widely across northern North America. Adult flies are frequently seen on flowers where they sip nectar and collect pollen for protein.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are called flower flies because they are commonly found on flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
These flies are typically observed on flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults obtain energy from nectar and protein from pollen on flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larvae of the Common Bog Fly are unknown.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Parhelophilus laetus is a common species throughout northern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 30 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, New York, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do adult Common Bog Flies eat?
Adults feed on nectar for energy and pollen for protein.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find Common Bog Flies?
They are common across northern North America and are often seen on flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parhelophilus_laetus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.