Pellucid Fly (or Pellucid Hoverfly)

Natural Habitat

Woodland edges, hedgerows, and gardens rich in flowering plants across Europe and parts of Asia.

Diet & Feeding

Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers like brambles and umbellifers; larvae are scavengers in the nests of social wasps and hornets.

Behavior Patterns

Notable for its mimicry of bees or wasps and its ability to hover motionless in mid-air. Females enter wasp nests to lay eggs, where the larvae feed on waste materials and occasionally dead wasp larvae.

Risks & Benefits

Harmless to humans as they do not sting or bite. Benefits the ecosystem as an important pollinator and helps keep wasp nests clean by consuming debris.

Identified on: 6/6/2026