Syrphid Hoverflies

A population explosion of a tiny fly often called a hover fly seems to be occurring in some areas where soybeans are grown. This tiny fly is often confused with a sweat bee. It is yellow and black in color and often swarms around people. Rest assured that this is a fly and not a bee (bees can sting, flies cannot). Therefore, even though this is a nuisance pest, it will not harm people. In its immature stage, this fly is beneficial by eating aphids and other pests of soybeans. No chemical controls are recommended at this time. As the season progresses, we expect to see its population decline dramatically.

--Tim Gibb, Department of Entomology, Purdue University