Your support helps us tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, the Independent is on the ground when the story develops. Whether it is investigating the finances of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or our latest documentary ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on American women who fight for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to analyze the facts from the messages.
At such a critical moment in American history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to send to journalists to speak on both sides of the story.
The independent is trusted by Americans across the political spectrum. Unlike many other quality news stores, we choose not to block Americans from our reporting and analysis with pay walls. We believe that quality journalism should be available to anyone paid by those who can afford it.
Your support makes the difference.
They work as hard as bees to pollinate our plants, look and sound and sound like bees, but have no sting – yet Hoverflies remain the unseen heroes of our gardens.
Now the Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are calling on gardeners across the country to help save hoverflies, by this year’s Wild About Gardens campaign, by making room for these beneficial insects in our gardens by building wood stacks, planting flowers.
Hoverflies occur in many shapes and sizes and are often wrong if bees, wasps and horns are wrong. Many of these insect workers, who are just as critical to our food security as bees, are now threatened, warns the charities.
They visit 72% of crops worldwide they pollinate or protect them by eating aphids.
In addition, they pollinate wildflowers, are food for birds and even help break down organic matter in gardens.
Yet intensive agriculture, harmful pesticides, urban development and climate change have all taken their toll, the charity state.
“Hoverflies contribute so much to our gardens and pollinate more than half of the world’s crops,” says Vicki Hird, strategic agriculture leads to the wildlife trusts and author of the planet’s re -capacity.
‘Unfortunately, just as with bees, harmful pesticides, urban development, climate change and intensive agriculture threaten their survival.
“One thing we can all do this summer is to make our gardens more smoothly friendly. If you invite them, they will come – and as soon as you start to see it, you will be surprised by their incredible marks and cunning disguises. “
Helen Bostock, senior game specialist at the RHS, says: ‘You can attract gliding flies by planting open, easily accessible flowers. In the spring, they are drawn to Aubrieta. In the summer, they like BlackBerry Flowers, Oxeye Daisy, Marigolds, Vinkel, Cow -Pietersiel and poppies. Come autumn, it can be seen on Heather, Aster and even ordinary ivy. “
10 things you might not know about hoverflies:
1. There are about 280 types of hoverfly and these are the second most important pollinators to bees.
2. Some Hefliek species are masters of disguise. They took the form of stinging insects to protect themselves. The Hornet Mimic Hoverfly is the largest hoverfly in the UK, almost 2 cm long.
3. The adult insects tend to be black and yellow with oval bodies, but they may have white marks or even a metallic shine. Common names include the footballer, Batman and Marmalade Hoverfly because of their colors, striped patterns and marks.
4. Hoverflies, like other flies, have a single wings, while most other flying insects have two pairs. They also move differently to other insects, zigzagging and hanging around plants and crops they are attracted to.
5.. The eyes of male hover flies will meet in the middle of the head. If there is a gap, it is a woman. There are also behavioral differences: Some male hover flies will defend a sunlight and claim it as their area and wait for passing women.
6. Just like a butterfly or moth, Hoverflies have a life cycle of four phase. Their eggs look like small grains rice and their larvae are maggoty with no obvious bones or head. The papa is hidden in a sheltered skin that looks like a small pear in some species.
7. If birds migrate, it is a two-way journey. Insect migrations are generation trips. An adult hoverfly can fly to the UK to lay eggs, and its offspring can then go south to Europe. Research shows that 17 million insects that pass South Pass through a single gap of 30 meters in the Pyrenees study many of their flies.
8. Without hoverflies and other pollinators, biodiversity would decrease, our flowers would be in danger and our gardens would be less productive. We have fewer berries, seeds and fruits such as apples and strawberries.
9. Hoverflies also provide food for birds and many help to break down organic matter in our gardens.
10. In a British government report, it is stated that the overall distribution of hoverflies fell by 44% between 1980 and 2022. In 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature 37% of European Hoverfly species added to the red list, a list of species threatened with extinction.
Homespun projects to attract hoverflies
Experts from the two charities have designed a series of step-by-step projects that someone can do to create ports for hover flies in gardens or outdoor spaces. This includes:
Pollinating plant boxes: Ideal for gardens or balconies with small space, it can be packed with flowering plants to fit the season, creating a buffet to visit hoverflies.
Hoverfly lagoons: These are pools of shallow water where fallen leaves form an ideal breeding ground for many of the hoverfly species that have aquatic larvae.
Larvae nurseries: Log stacks and shrubs can make perfect homes for hoverfly larvae.
Visit gameaboutgardens.org.uk for project guides and a butterfly spotter skin.
