# Black-Footed Drone Fly (*eristalis hirta*) The Black-Footed Drone Fly is a fascinating insect that looks like a tiny bee! Kids will love watching it buzz around flowers, helping to pollinate them. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger - **Habitat:** Gardens, parks, and near bodies of water. ![Black-Footed Drone Fly](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Eristalis_hirta_27380.jpg&width=800) Photo: Don Loarie, CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eristalis_hirta_27380.jpg) ## Appearance The Black-Footed Drone Fly is a plump, hairy insect strikingly similar to a bumblebee, with a body often banded in black and yellow or orange. Its defining characteristic is its dark, almost entirely black, legs, distinguishing it from many other hoverflies. It has large eyes and a single pair of clear wings. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Diptera - **Family:** Syrphidae - **Genus:** Eristalis ## Interesting facts - Adult drone flies can taste sweet nectar with their feet before even landing. - Their 'rat-tailed maggot' larvae breathe underwater using a snorkel-like tail! - These flies use their huge compound eyes to see almost all the way around them. - Though they look like bees, drone flies cannot sting – they are totally harmless! ## Special abilities - **Clever Disguise:** Black-Footed Drone Fly can look exactly like a bee or wasp because of its body shape and colors, which helps them scare away predators. - **Mid-Air Maestro:** Black-Footed Drone Fly can hover perfectly still in the air because of its powerful flight muscles, which helps them feed on flowers. - **Pollination Power:** Black-Footed Drone Fly has fuzzy bodies that pick up pollen easily, which helps them spread pollen between flowers as they feed. - **Watery Wrigglers:** Black-Footed Drone Fly larvae can live in stagnant, murky water because they have a long breathing tube, which helps them survive where others can't. ## Measurements & details - **Wingspan:** 15-25 mm - **Size:** 7-12 mm - **Lifespan:** 14-28 days - **Flight Speed:** 8 km/h - **Leg Count:** 6 ## Diet & Feeding Adult drone flies sip sweet nectar from flowers, while their larvae are amazing nature's clean-up crew! - **Age differences:** Larvae (rat-tailed maggots) consume decaying organic matter, bacteria, and algae in water. Adults feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. - **Primary Foods:** nectar, pollen, decaying organic matter, bacteria, algae - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** [Dandelion](https://www.snappit.app/explore/dandelion) (*Taraxacum officinale*) — helps spread pollen for - **Eaten by:** [House Sparrow](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-sparrow) (*Passer domesticus*) — provides a food source for - **Eaten by:** Flower Crab Spider (*Misumena vatia*) — gets ambushed by - **Pollinates:** Goat Willow (*Salix caprea*) — visits early spring catkins for ## Traits - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Black-Footed Drone Fly? Look for six legs, antennae, three body sections and the shape of the wings. Beetles have hardened front wings; flies have just one working pair. Tiny insects may need a close view before their group is clear. Insect Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### What is Black-Footed Drone Fly's wingspan? 15-25 mm ### How big is Black-Footed Drone Fly? 7-12 mm ### How long does Black-Footed Drone Fly live? 14-28 days ### How fast can Black-Footed Drone Fly fly? 8 km/h ### What does Black-Footed Drone Fly eat? Adult drone flies sip sweet nectar from flowers, while their larvae are amazing nature's clean-up crew! ### Where is Black-Footed Drone Fly usually found? Gardens, parks, and near bodies of water. ### How does Black-Footed Drone Fly hunt? Foraging ## Where to spot - [Cathedral Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cathedral-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Black-Footed Drone Fly: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-footed-drone-fly)