Solitary Bee Identification Workshop at Grantown-on-Spey in Highland on Thurs 7th Aug 2025. #solitarybees #hymenoptera

If you have recorded this species, please consider adding to whatever recording platform or schemes you currently use though preferably via UK Hoverfly Recording Scheme, iRecord, iNaturalist or Syrphboard where we can access the records. #hoverflies.

Join millions who have switched to Grok.

Even if you don’t find any Brachyopa, it’s still worth recording trees with sap runs. These valuable woodland features can be revisited in future years, & noting them may help highlight individual trees of conservation importance—potentially preventing unnecessary felling.

Few Brachyopa insensilis records appear on iRecord, with even fewer verified—all adults. The Hoverfly Recording Scheme has seen a drop in submissions—likely due to changes in recorder behaviour, less fieldcraft, and the challenge of identifying adults from photos over specimens.

Brachyopa insensilis: sap runs allow focused searches for both adults & larvae, but targeting larvae is arguably a more effective recording method. Larval activity isn’t constrained by weather or flight period and the larva is often easier to identify than the adults. #hoverflies

Interestingly, based on iRecord submissions, there seems to be less enthusiasm for recording M. cincta larvae compared to Parasyrphus nigritarsis. Perhaps the lack of rarity status and the relative ease of finding adults means there’s less incentive to seek out larvae?

Melangyna cincta can be easily targeted in the larval stage by walking along a beech hedge, spotting Woolly Beech Aphid leaf curls, and gently unfolding them to check for larvae inside. Getting a photo for verification is usually straightforward too. #hoverflies

Just checked iRecord after a week—Parasyrphus nigritarsis still at 52 records for 2025, no new additions. Their peak has passed, so activity now likely at higher elevations such as the Scottish Highlands. Still worth checking promising leaf beetle colonies wherever you are.

The sap-run dwelling larva of Brachyopa insensilis is fairly distinctive in the genus allowing ID in the field, especially with a 10x hand lens. Other hoverfly species also inhabit sap runs, so if your larva doesn't match this one, the references provided may assist. #hoverflies

Got a beech hedge near you? Why not check it for Woolly Beech Aphid leaf curls? Unfurl the curls & you may be lucky enough to find Melangyna cincta larvae within. The larvae prey on these aphids and are often easy to ID, even in poor weather when adults aren't active. #hoverflies

Checked iRecord just now: 55 verified Parasyrphus nigritarsis records so far in 2025, up by 5 since last update. Just 3 are adults. Worth also checking sites with leaf beetle colonies on willow & alder, particularly in the Scottish Highlands. #hoverflies

Checked iRecord just now: 50 verified Parasyrphus nigritarsis records so far in 2025, up 2 since last update. Just 3 are adults. If you've found eggs, revisit for larvae—and check other sites like leaf beetle colonies on willow & alder. #hoverflies

Recording hoverflies this summer? Check curled leaves on beech hedges—caused by Woolly Beech Aphids—for Melangyna cincta larvae. The larvae prey on these aphids and are often easy to find and ID, even in poor weather when adults aren’t active. #hoverflies

Checked iRecord this evening: 48 verified Parasyrphus nigritarsis records this year, up 12 since last update on 28 May. Only 3 are adults. If you've found eggs, revisit soon for larvae—still plenty of time to spot them through June and July. #hoverflies

On iRecord yesterday evening – 36 verified Parasyrphus nigritarsis records this year, 8+ since last update on 22 May! If you've found eggs, it is worth revisiting them soon to find the larvae. Plenty of time left to look for these hoverflies with June & July ahead! #Hoverflies

A *Syrphus* larva devouring an *Aphis viburni* aphid from a leaf curl on a Guelder-rose, collected on 19 May. It was the largest of nine larvae found in total—and what an appetite it has! - Montrose, Angus #Hoverflies

Found numerous *Aphis viburni* (Viburnum aphid) colonies in tight leaf curls and along petioles on a shaded Guelder-rose *Viburnum opulus* in Montrose, Angus today. Even better—hoverfly larvae were in there feeding on them! Now trying to rear a few. #Aphids #Hoverflies

Meliscaeva auricollis larva on a willow in Lancashire #hoverflies.

RT @ViciousCheese: Just some Green Dock Beetle eggs on Dock leaves? Not entirely. The white ones are the eggs of the #hoverfly Parasyrphus….

Just checked iRecord – 28 verified Parasyrphus nigritarsis records this year, 6 more since last update on 16 May! If you've found eggs, it's worth revisiting soon to find the larvae. Plenty of time to look for these hoverflies with the rest of May, June & July ahead! #Hoverflies