Meadow Flies

Chrysotoxum

Meadow flies are small, colorful insects that love to buzz around flowers. They are often seen in sunny meadows, where they help pollinate plants while searching for nectar.

Lebensraum: Meadows

Aussehen

The Meadow Flies has a slender body, often featuring bright yellow and black stripes across its abdomen, making it resemble a wasp or bee. It possesses two clear wings and large, prominent compound eyes that cover much of its head. Their short, stubby antennae distinguish them from the longer antennae of bees.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungDipteraFamilieSyrphidaeGattungChrysotoxum

Meadow Flies

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Instead of chewing, adult Meadow Flies use a spongy tongue to slurp up sweet nectar.

Some Meadow Flies larvae are secret agents, living hidden inside ant nests!

Their wings beat so incredibly fast, over 200 times every single second!

Wow! Meadow Flies can fly backwards and sideways, amazing aerial tricks!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Meadow Flies can stay perfectly still in mid-air because of their powerful wing muscles, which helps them search for flowers or avoid predators.

Meadow Flies has bright yellow and black patterns that make them look like wasps, which helps them scare away hungry birds and other attackers.

Meadow Flies larvae can gobble up many tiny aphids because of their strong mouthparts, which helps farmers protect their crops naturally.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 15-30 mm
Größe: 8-18 mm
Lebenserwartung: 15-40 Tage
Fluggeschwindigkeit: 10 km/h
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

Adults sip sweet nectar and pollen, while their hungry young often munch on garden pests!

Altersunterschiede: Larvae are often carnivorous, feasting on aphids, while adults primarily feed on nectar and pollen.

Hauptnahrung

nectar
pollen
aphids
honeydew

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

pollinates

Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Adults visit their flowers for nectar and pollen.

hunts

Cotton Aphid

Aphis gossypii

Their larvae prey on these tiny garden pests.

eaten by

Great Tit

Parus major

A common bird that will feed on adult flies.

pollinates

Raspberry

Rubus idaeus

Help these plants produce their delicious fruit.

Merkmale

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.

Bestäubermagnet

Beschreibt Pflanzen, die für eine Vielzahl von bestäubenden Organismen besonders attraktiv und nützlich sind.

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh beschreibt Organismen oder Objekte, die eine große Vielfalt an leuchtenden und deutlich erkennbaren Farben aufweisen.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.