Adult hoverflies feed mainly on floral nectar and honey dew produced by aphids. They lay oblong whitish eggs.
Larvae develop through three instars and change their colour from greenish to dark brownish. The larvae can be saprotrophs or insectivorous.
There are some internal and external plant feeders also.
Larvae usually pupate (pear shaped pupa) on the plant and adult emerges from the pupa (Duke, 2006).
The Life Cycle of The Hover Fly
Habitat
Depending on the species, the habitat preference can be vary. Usually hoverfly larvae are found near stagnate water and adult are found near
flowering plants. There are some species preferred unusual habitats like woodlands edges and rotting vegetation. For an example, Wasp hoverfly
(Doros profuges) prefer woodland edge or scrubby habitats and Golden hoverfly (Callicera spinolae) prefer dead and dying trees, especially
those that contain rotten wood (Duke, 2006).
