The grove hoverfly, approximately 7 to 12 mm in size, is one of the approximately 450 hoverfly species that are native to us. What is particularly striking is its yellow-black coloring, which is reminiscent of a wasp. This is how the grove hoverfly protects itself against predators, while itself is completely harmless and has no sting.As a fly, it is a dipteran and has two large front wings, while the second pair of wings, like all flies, is converted into swinging flasks. This makes the grove hoverfly particularly fast and maneuverable. Thanks to its wing movement of up to 300 beats per second, it can stay in the air like a helicopter. She is also able to fly backwards.The grove hoverfly can be found on almost all flowers; it lays its eggs directly on colonies of aphids, on which the larvae feed. That's why, like the seven-spot ladybird, it is used for biological pest control. The adults are also important pollinators. Like migratory birds, many grove hoverflies, which can travel up to 25 kilometers per hour, migrate south in late summer and overwinter in southern Europe or North Africa.
