Recently, a team of New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station scientists made up of UNH faculty and alumni published research in Environmental Entomology examining the role of annual insectary plants—which are flowering plants grown to attract, feed and shelter beneficial insects—in serving as habitats for syrphid flies. Also known as hover or flower flies, syrphids appear as a mix of a housefly and honeybee—typically with black and white or yellow bands across their bodies—and derive their name from their behavior of hovering over flowers and other plants. And while adult syrphids prefer nectar and pollen for a meal, many species of syrphid larva will consume large numbers of common pests like aphids.

Adult syrphids will remain within an area longer if there are flowering plants to provide them with nectar and pollen. These floral resources then give the adults the reproductive power to lay their eggs near aphid colonies, where their young will predate on aphids and other soft-bodied pests.