Page 1 of 1
What is this hoverfly doing?
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:31 am
by Dave McCormick
I was in garden testing out my new canon 600D with Sigma 105mm Macro lens and took a photo of this hoverfly (not the best image) but noticed from the photo, it seems to be shooting something out of its mouth. At first I thought it was a spider web just beside the fly, but you can clearly see its coming from its mouth. Anyone know what is going on here?
- Hoverfly
Closeup:
- Hoverfly close up
Re: What is this hoverfly doing?
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:56 am
by MikeOxon
Fascinating photo! Like you, I first assumed this was a bit of spider thread but Gilbert mentions this behaviour in his paper on Foraging Ecology of Hoverflies - see:
http://ecology.nottingham.ac.uk/~plzfg/ ... rphids.pdf
He writes that it is sometimes possible to see the flies spitting fluid onto a nectary, producing a medium in which the nectar sugar can dissolve.
I've not see a photo of this behaviour before!
Mike
Re: What is this hoverfly doing?
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 3:23 pm
by Paul Wetton
Superb behavioural shot.
Looks a bit like Episyrphus balteatus which is a common migrant hoverfly in this country but difficult to tell with its wings closed.
Re: What is this hoverfly doing?
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 6:37 pm
by David M
Top shot! You learn something new every day.
Re: What is this hoverfly doing?
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:29 pm
by Dave McCormick
Thanks all, interesting behaviour and interesting what a quick snap can get you
