Hover Fly - Eggs

Hover flies (also called syrphid or flower flies) are beneficial, predatory insects. Adults are small (3/8 to 3/4 inch long) and resemble small bees or wasps with short antennae and large eyes. Unlike bees or wasps they only have two wings. These pollen feeders are often seen near perennials in flower. Adults lay eggs that resemble a small grain of rice (in photo). The eggs hatch into small legless larvae that feed upon aphids as well as thrips and small caterpillars. Larvae extract the fluids from the aphids and leave the exoskeleton behind.