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A female aphid-eating hoverfly visiting a
strawberry flower for pollen and nectar © 2017 Dylan Hodgkiss
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There is
growing concern about declines in the numbers of wild insects. These losses are
particularly troubling for fruit growers who rely on insects to visit and fertilise,
or pollinate, their crops. At the same time, aphids are a serious pest of
strawberry, causing significant losses in fruit production. Many flies in the
hoverfly family not only visit strawberry flowers as adults, but they also offer
the added bonus of eating aphids during their larval stage. However, whether aphid-eating
hoverflies are able to effectively pollinate strawberry flowers remains largely
unknown.
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