Photo by Drees. Photo by Drees. Most adult hover flies are black or brown with yellow banded abdomens and body markings, superficially resembling bees and wasps except that they have only two wings that are not held over the back of the body when at rest.
Some species are hairy and have a long, thin abdomen.
Biology and developmental times vary between species and because of environmental conditions and availability of food. In general, females lay single white eggs on leaves near aphid infestations or near other suitable food source for that species. Larvae or maggots hatch from eggs in about 3 days. The skin of the last stage larva forms the tan-brown teardrop shaped puparium. Adults emerge in one to two weeks unless the pupal stage remains through the winter.