Wildlife of Britain

The Marmalade Hoverfly: Britain’s Tiny Migrant Pollinator There are few insects in Britain more familiar — yet more overlooked — than the marmalade hoverfly. Almost everyone has seen one hovering above a flower border, darting through a meadow, or basking in warm sunshine on a garden leaf.  Many people mistake it for a small wasp or bee, but this harmless little insect is neither. It is a fly — and one of the most important pollinators in the British countryside. The marmalade hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus, is among the commonest hoverflies in the UK and can be found almost everywhere: city parks, wildflower meadows, coastal dunes, woodland rides, hedgerows, allotments and gardens.  Despite its small size, it plays a huge ecological role. Adults pollinate flowers, while larvae consume astonishing numbers of aphids, making the species invaluable to both wildlife and agriculture. This remarkable insect is also one of Britain’s great insect migrants.  Every year, millions a...