Bug FAQHeineken Fly
Rhingia campestris · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Adults feed on nectar (males) or protein-rich pollen (females), while larvae develop in cow dung; they are common from March to November across the Palearctic.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The fly shows a broad orange abdomen with a black side line and a characteristic long snout.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Length is 7 to 11 mm and wingspan 12 to 18 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in woods and wetlands, especially where cows are grazed.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Males drink nectar; females need protein-rich pollen for egg development. Larvae are associated with cow dung.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It is common across its range from March through November.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are present from early spring to late autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range covers the Palearctic from Fennoscandia south to the Mediterranean, east through Europe into Siberia and the Russian Far East.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Rhingia rostrata lacks the black side line that Heineken Fly has.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell Heineken Fly apart from similar species?
Look for the orange abdomen with a black line on the sides and the long snout; Rhingia rostrata does not have the black line.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhingia_campestris
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.