![]() Both Syrphus rectus and Syrphus ribesii showed some potential evidence of migration as well, while Allograpta obliqua seems to not migrate at all. Of the four species, they found that one species, Eupeodes americanus, showed strong evidence of being a long-distant fall migrant. They looked at the isotopic composition of the chitin in insects’ wings over several seasons to understand whether the flies were local or had migrated. To study the phenomenon, Clem and his team analyzed four hover fly species native to the eastern United States. As larvae, they are important biological controls for crop pests. In their winged adult phase, hover flies are important pollinators, second only to bees. This hover fly, Allograpta obliqua, does not seem to migrate but sticks close to home. Almost no hard data existed on whether North America’s hover flies migrate. However, when Clem went looking for similar research on North American syrphids, most of what he was able to find came from a small study from the 1920s. In Europe, studies have long established that some of these species migrate. ![]() ![]() Understanding how, why, and especially which insects migrate is key to understanding the continent’s ecosystems. As larvae, many species eat aphids, which are crop and garden pests, while others are decomposers and important nutrient recyclers. As adults they pollinate a wide range of plants. They play important ecological roles, including pollination, biological control and decomposition. Hover flies, or flower files, earn their name by hovering near flowers and other plants. Hover flies are one of the most common pollinating flies. The yellow-and-black stripes serve to discourage predators, but they may have also helped humans overlook them. Most of them look like sleek flies painted to look like wasps or bees. More than 800 species of hover flies, members of the insect family Syrphidae, live in North America and on every continent except Antarctica. These hover flies are hugely beneficial to ecosystems, and we are still finding these brand-new behaviors that are crucial aspects of their life history.” “But true flies of the order Diptera are the second most important pollinators in North America, next to bees. “When people think of pollinators, they typically think of bees and maybe butterflies,” said Clem. Researchers found this hover fly, Eupeodes americanus, to be a long-distance fall migrant like many of its European cousins. Like bees, they are also important pollinators. Hover flies like this one mimic bees and wasps, though they have only two wings.
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