Four-banded Flower Fly

Gardens, meadows, woodlands, and areas with abundant flowering plants.

Adults feed on pollen and nectar from flowers. Larvae are predatory and primarily eat aphids.

Active during the day, they are known for their ability to hover in place before darting away. They mimic the appearance of wasps (Batesian mimicry) as a defense mechanism, despite having no sting.

They are highly beneficial to ecosystems and gardens. As adults, they are important pollinators, and as larvae, they act as effective natural pest control by consuming aphids.