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Animal profile

Marmalade hoverfly

Episyrphus balteatus

InsectaGardens, hedgerows, farmland and flower-rich grassland

Field profile

The marmalade hoverfly is a small orange and black syrphid marked with paired moustache-shaped bands on the abdomen. Adults hover at flowers and feed on nectar and pollen; the larvae are legless and prey on aphids. It is one of the most abundant and most migratory hoverflies in Europe.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-01-20

Marmalade hoverfly

Billions of hoverflies migrate across northern Europe

Radar and trap records show that migrant hoverflies, dominated by the marmalade hoverfly, arrive over southern Britain in numbers estimated in the billions each year. Their larvae eat aphids on arrival, making the migration a large and unmanaged pest-control service.

Read with evidence →

Marmalade hoverfly | Daily Animal Facts