If the picture doesnt show well enough.. They are quite small and have a bright-ish yellow and black pattern.

Looks like a hover (syrphid fly) fly to me! The adults, the fly you've pictured, feed on nectar and pollen. The females lay their eggs near a batch of aphids or other plant pests, so that the hungry and predatory larvae can have lunch upon hatching.

We like hover flies.

YAY!!!! good news cause they are swarming and a nearby dahlia is getting attacked by aphids. And this makes sense since I have seen adult hover flies around the tree for at least 3 weeks now.

This post was edited by TColl on Wed, Apr 10, 13 at 17:27

Tcoll, where are you located? Rhizo, thank you for your expert insect eyes! I, too, have these flies on my citrus. I think this is the first time I've actually noticed them. Glad you were able to snap such a good photo of this fly.

Patty S.

Im in Marin County, California, just north of the Golden Gate, but I grew up near you out in El Cajon. I have been observing these guys all day today (it's my day off LOL) and everything Rhizo has said seems accurate to me. The adults seem to have moved on and these little guys arent damaging the plant at all as far as I can tell.

They are considered to be beneficials; they work for you without being paid.

Rhizo! It's true, you are such a gem here and I am so grateful you stick around here!!!

Thank you and I hope everyone else is doing great too.

Mike

Glad I can help....I do love my creepy crawlies!

Tcoll, those ARE the adults. Hover /Syrphid flies are very small. The larvae look sort of like small caterpillars.....they are the ones eating aphids, whitefly nymphs, and I don't know what else.

Very good, Tcoll! Small world, lol! In reading up about the Hoverfly, you can help bring these great beneficials to your yard by planting these plants: alyssum, Iberis umbellata, statice, buckwheat, chamomile, parsley, and yarrow. I have a huge amount of staticein my yard, mainly up on my front slope where the majority of my citrus are, which is where I've seen this fly. I have also seen this fly in my backyard, hovering around my stone fruit flowers.

Patty S.