Common Drone Fly
Eristalis tenax
The larvae are known as 'rat-tailed maggots' because they possess a long, telescopic breathing tube that allows them to breathe air while submerged in oxygen-poor water.
- Scientific name
- Eristalis tenax
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Diptera › Syrphidae › Eristalis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Gardens, meadows, sewage farms, and wetlands where stagnant water is present.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar and pollen; larvae (rat-tailed maggots) consume decaying organic matter in stagnant water.
- Range
- Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa, Australia, New Zealand
- Size
- 14-16 mm in length.
- Lifespan
- 2-4 weeks as an adult; several months including larval stages.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Widespread pesticide use in gardens and the loss of floral diversity in urban landscapes.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless. Though it resembles a honeybee to deter predators, it lacks a stinger and cannot bite. You can safely observe them hovering over flowers at a very close distance. No medical action is required if they land on you.
Eristalis tenax is a hoverfly, also known as the drone fly (or "dronefly"). It is migratory and cosmopolitan, the most widely distributed syrphid species in the world, and is known from all regions except the Antarctic. It has been introduced into North America and is widely established.
Photo: Drepanostoma, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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