Yellowjacket hoverfly
The yellowjacket hoverfly is a big yellow and black fly that looks just like a wasp. But it is only dressed up, it cannot sting at all. It hovers in the air and then zips off in a jerky way.
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Fun facts
It copies the look of yellowjacket wasps and hornets so that birds leave it alone.
Its larva looks a bit like a caterpillar with a narrow neck.
You can see the grown-ups from the middle of summer until early autumn.
Most asked questions about Yellowjacket hoverfly
?Can the yellowjacket hoverfly sting?
No, it cannot sting. It only looks like a wasp.
?What does the yellowjacket hoverfly eat?
Adults eat nectar and pollen, and the larvae eat rotting plants.
?How can I tell it from a wasp?
Watch how it flies. It hovers in one spot and then shifts around in jerky jumps.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Milesia virginiensis
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Syrphidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Syrphidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Virginia flower fly
Where the facts come from
- Milesia virginiensis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by xpda. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
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