Hoverfly - a friend's question

A friend has a new tree - mulberry. He is happy like a child! The mulberry is neither white nor dark, but something in between. This year it bore abundant fruit, for three weeks already. Sweet sweet! We ate ourselves, treated our relatives, even just comrades.

And finally, when there were still many unripe berries on the tree, it rained. Rain and rain, what's so special? And the fact that in the morning after the rain the tree hummed like a jet plane. And under the mulberry is a humming carpet (the berries have fallen).

The hover flies flew together! To the feast! Is this good or bad? Such a question was asked by a friend. I looked, found information, maybe someone else will tell me.

Friends observation

Hover flies live with them for many years. They are not noticed in anything bad, they do not attack people, they do not sting, they are not shy, almost tame.

Eggs are laid discreetly, presumably on leaves. When the larvae hatch, they start eating aphids. With great appetite.

But who is it that swooped down on the mulberry?

What we managed to find out

Hope your friends got lucky and got hold of the predator's hoverflies. That is, those that feed on insects. On the tree, adult flies enjoyed juice, apparently, they wanted to drink, it happens!

What other hoverflies are there?

The hoverflies living in the water disappear, the garden is not a pond.

There are hoverflies whose larvae eat the leaves (phytophages). Harmful, then. And that is not all! Some species lay eggs in stems and buds. Completely enemies!

There are those who like to hide the larvae under the bark of a tree (xylobionts). True, they like rotten trees, and not all kinds.

Close to xylobionts, there is one species of hoverflies, the larvae of which feed on the flowing sap of trees.

Some hoverfly species lay their eggs in the nests of wasps and bumblebees, ants and termites. Cuckoo type!

The tenacious beekeeper, the common silt (Eristalis tenax) feeds on the nectar of flowers. But she does not look like a friend's photo, thicker, brighter, very similar to a bee.

Well, there are the hoverflies of the dung beetle. Everything is clear with them, not our case.

There is a whole section in science that studies the hoverfly, sirfidology. And since 2001, international symposia of syrphidologists have been held. How!

Stop! And there is no answer to a friend's question! Who swooped down on his mulberry, friends or foes? Another video for identification:

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