Male or Female – look into my eyes

A hoverfly dining on the stamens (androecium) of a Japanese anemone 'September Charm'

Hoverfly sexes can be separated by looking at their eyes - the male's eyes meet at the top of the head, whereas the female's eyes are separated by a gap.

While the adult hoverfly mainly feeds on nectar and pollen, the larvae of many species are voracious predators of aphids and other garden pests. As a result, hoverflies should be welcome in any garden, acting both as efficient pollinators and pest controllers. The female hoverfly requires pollen and nectar to mature her eggs, and then uses aphid honeydew as a cue to locate aphid colonies.

Hoverflies can fly in bursts of up to 40 km per hour.