Bug FAQMigrant Hover Fly
Eupeodes corollae · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The migrant hover fly is a small insect about 6 to 11 mm long, with wings 5 to 8.25 mm long. Adults are found from May to September in a wide range of open habitats such as grasslands, farms, gardens and hedgerows across Europe, North Africa and Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males have square-shaped comma marks on abdominal segments 3 and 4, while females have narrow commas, and both sexes show yellow spots that reach the side margins of those segments.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Body length ranges from 6 to 11 mm (0.24 to 0.43 in). Wing length is between 5 and 8.25 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
They have been employed as biological control agents against aphids and scale insects in horticulture.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in grasslands, dunes, dry river beds, garrigue, most farmland, suburban gardens, orchards, alpine grasslands, hedgerows, woodland clearings, tracksides and road verges.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on aphids. Adults have been used experimentally to control aphids and scale insects in greenhouses and fruit orchards.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May through September, and can be present year-round in southern Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Their flight period is May to September, extending all year in southern Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers Europe, North Africa and Asia, from Fennoscandia south to Iberia and the Mediterranean basin.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When are migrant hover flies active?
Adults are active from May to September, and can be present all year in southern Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find migrant hover flies?
They are found in grasslands, farms, gardens, hedgerows, woodland clearings and similar open habitats across Europe, North Africa and Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Are they useful for pest control?
Yes, they have been used experimentally to control aphids and scale insects in greenhouses and fruit orchards.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupeodes_corollae
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.