Bug FAQStripe-winged Drone Fly
Eristalis horticola · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
The stripe-winged drone fly is a medium hoverfly with wing lengths around 8 to 12 mm and a pale face marked by a broad black stripe. It lives near water in wetlands, forest edges and the margins of streams, and it is found across the Palearctic from Ireland to Sakhalin.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its face is light-colored with a wide black stripe down the middle, and the abdomen shows yellow spots with brown-black marks on the third antennal segment and dull coloring on the second tergite.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wing length ranges from about 8.3 mm to 11.5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in consistently wet places such as fens, bogs, wetlands, and forested areas. Also occurs at the edges of pools, streams and rivers.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larvae live in water. Adults are on the wing from May through September.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They can be seen flying between May and September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is Palearctic, extending from Ireland eastward to the island of Sakhalin.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When are stripe-winged drone flies active?
Adults are active from May until September.
Source: Wikipedia
What does this fly look like?
It has a pale face with a broad black stripe, yellow spots on the abdomen, and brown-black markings on the third antennal segment.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this species?
Look for it near wetlands, forest edges, and the margins of streams and ponds.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eristalis_horticola
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.