Discover
Identify
Record
Common Drone Fly - Eristalis tenax
This stocky hoverfly is the commonest 'drone' fly, so called because they mimic bee drones (male hive bees). The orange marks on the abdomen are variable so are not a reliable identification feature, though most specimens have a single pair near to the thorax. It also has a very noticeable dark face stripe and curved rear tibia.
It differs from E. pertinax in having dark front tarsi and banana-shaped rear tibia.
Gardens and hedgerows.
Virtually all year round. The female hibernates in buildings and crevices but will emerge on warm days in late winter, leading to it being seen in virtually every month of the year.
Larvae live in organically rich polluted rivers and drains, the run off from dung, silage heaps, etc.
Widespread and very common throughout Britain.
Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015
UK Map
Species profile
- Species group:
- Hoverflies
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
- Order:
- Diptera
- Family:
- Syrphidae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 853
- First record:
- 02/07/1989 (Maggie Frankum;Neil Frankum)
- Last record:
- 05/10/2024 (Dejardin, Andrew)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.