After the eggs hatch young hoverfly larva are often referred to as maggots. They have an enormous appetite for aphids so can be a real friend to the gardener. With ‘companion planting’ gardeners mix

plants that encourage hoverflies with their normal crops and these may include Yarrow, Statice and Alyssum. One species is known as the rat-tailed maggot and these can often be found in still or even stagnant water. They could be seen in the small pond in Molluscopolis on the Upper Orchid Field in early summer.

The adult hoverflies tend to feed on nectar and pollen and in gardens will often be seen on  Candytuft, Michaelmas Daisies and Phacelia. In the countryside the large umbels of Common Hogweed will usually have a few flies on display but they are also attracted to thistles, bindweed and hawkbits. A type of hoverfly with a very long tongue has been nicknamed the Heineken Fly because it reaches  those flowers other hoverflies cannot reach.