Have you ever seen an insect mimic? Flies are exceptional bee mimics, presenting with black and yellow coloration to avoid predation. Some flies, as shown below, are often mistaken for bees or wasps because of this. Today’s blog will focus on flies as pollinators. For more information on flies as mimics, and more specifically the hoverfly (as seen in the photo below), check out this article: Syrphid flies, Hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae).
Besides a fly’s ability to trick humans and other insects into thinking they should be avoided, they make great pollinators. Flies are responsible for pollinating more than 100 crops including almonds and avocados. As flies visit flowers to collect nectar, they pick up pollen grains on their setae. Flies are covered in tiny hairs called setae that give them their “fluffy” look. When the fly moves to a new flower in search of nectar, the pollen is transferred and the flower is fertilized.
Photo Credit: Gordon Dietzman, NPS
Some plants like skunk cabbage and voodoo lilies produce a strong odor like that of rotting meat to attract carrion flies. Adult carrion flies feed on the fluid from the carcass and lay their eggs in or on the decaying meat. Once the eggs hatch, larval stages will consume the dead meat. Due to their smell, skunk cabbage and voodoo lilies, pictured below, are primarily pollinated by carrion flies. While the flies do not feed on these plants, they unwittingly pollinate them with pollen stuck to their setae from previous feedings or
deceptions from other skunk cabbages and voodoo lilies. Both plant and insect mimics are all around us! To learn more about the voodoo lily visit https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/charlotteco/2019/08/21/the-voodoo-lily/.
Between mimicry and deception, flies seem to experience it all when it comes to pollination. If you are hoping to encourage flies in your garden, try a special stinky plant to do the job! Or, for a less smelly option, try easily accessible flowers with flat tops like yarrow or sweet alyssum. If you’re interested in learning more about flies and other pollinators check out this article https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/2022/09/14/pollinators-its-not-all-about-the-bees/ .
Gwendolyn Pender, UF/IFAS Summer Intern, is the author of this blog.
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