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| Adult drone flies are active from March to October. As the female drone flies overwinter, they also can be encountered outdoors on warm winter days. | | |
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| Drone flies | | The drone fly (Eristalis tenax) is a hoverfly and is common throughout the world. It is quite striking in appearance. | | |
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| The female drone flies lay their eggs in sewage treatment plants and other muddy or foul waters. The larvae have a breathing tube, which is up to 100 mm in length. Therefore they are known as rat-tailed maggots. The larvae of drone flies develop to a body length of up to 20 mm. Due to the fact that they filter feculent particles from the water, they contribute to the clarification of water. | | |
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| Drone fly - Eristalis pertinax | | The drone fly - Eristalis (Eoseristalis) pertinax - is a species in the order two-winged flies (Diptera), the suborder Brachycera, the infraorder Muscomorpha (section Aschiza), the superfamily Syrphoidea, the family hoverflies (Syrphidae), the subfamily Miles... | | |
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| ...istalis species). These markings have yellowish-brown hair. In the females the markings on the 2nd abdominal segment are hard to make out because they are very indistinct. The brownish, feathery bristles on the antennae are a striking feature of the drone fly. The compound eyes are unusually large and touch in the males. The front legs of the drone fly are mostly reddish-yellow;the hind legs are on the whole much darker. | | |
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| When the larvae of the drone flies leave the water they enter buildings in search of a place to become pupae. They are exterminated when they occur en masse. Since the drone fly shows few escape reflexes, it can be captured in the hand. | | |
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| Drone flies are especially common in rural areas, (but are also encountered in populated areas), where they are often found in dunghills. They feed on nectar preferably from the sunflower family (Asteraceae) and the carrot family (umbellifers). | | |
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 | | Drone fly - Eristalis tenax on a white flower | | >> Picture |
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