Bug FAQStripe-winged Drone Fly
Eristalis horticola · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The stripe-winged drone fly is a medium hoverfly with wings about 8.3 to 11.5 mm long. It has a pale face marked by a broad black stripe and brown-black spots on the antennae and abdomen. Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen, while the larvae live in water and are found near wetlands, streams and forested wetlands from May to September.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The face is pale with a wide black stripe down the middle. The third antennal segment has brown-black markings, the second abdominal segment is dull, and the abdomen shows yellowish spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wing length ranges from about 8.3 mm to 11.5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in wet habitats such as wetlands, fens, bogs, and forested wetlands. Also occurs at the edges of pools, streams and rivers.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen. Larvae are aquatic.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larval stage lives in water.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from May through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It has a Palearctic distribution, ranging from Ireland eastward to Sakhalin.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When are stripe-winged drone flies active?
They are typically seen flying between May and September.
Source: Wikipedia
What do adult stripe-winged drone flies eat?
Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find stripe-winged drone flies?
They live near water in wetlands, fens, bogs, and at the edges of streams and rivers.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eristalis_horticola
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.