What is Hoverfly?
{{Taxobox | name = Syrphidae | image = Syrphidae poster.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = Sixteen different species of hoverfly | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Arthropod]]a | classis = [[Insect]]a | ordo = [[Fly|Diptera]] | subordo = [[Brachycera]] | zoosectio = [[Aschiza]] | superfamilia = [[Syrphoidea]] | familia = '''Syrphidae''' | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies | subdivision = }} '''Hoverflies''', sometimes called 'flower flies' or 'syrphid flies', are the insect [[family (biology)|family]] '''Syrphidae'''.<ref>Gilbert, Francis S. 1986. ''Hoverflies''. Cambridge University Press, Natural History Handbooks 5. {{ISBN|0-521-27701-9}}.</ref> Hoverflies mimic wasp stripes, and are usually smaller than wasps. Thus to a bird they may look scarcely worth eating, and dangerous. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or sucking [[nectar]] at [[flower]]s. The adults of many [[species]] feed mainly on [[nectar]] and [[pollen]], while the [[larva]]e ([[maggot]]s) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are [[saprotroph]]s, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are [[insectivore]]s and prey on [[aphid]]s, [[thrip]]s, and other plant-sucking insects. Aphids alone cause tens of millions of dollars of damage to crops worldwide every year. Hoverflies are important [[Predation|natural enemies]] of these [[pest]]s, and can be used in [[biological control]]. Some adult syrphid flies are important [[Pollination|pollinators]]. Some [[orchids]] mimic [[aphid]] alarm scent ([[pheromones]]), which attracts hoverflies. The hoverflies then pollinate the orchids.<ref>Stokl, Johannes; Brodmann; Dafni; Ayasse; Hansson 2011. Smells like aphids: orchid flowers mimic aphid alarm pheromones to attract hoverflies for pollination. ''Proc. R. Soc. B''. '''278''' (1709): 1216–1222. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20943694/]</ref> About 6,000 species in 200 [[genus|genera]] have been described. Hoverflies are common throu