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I have hundreds of a gold... #195060

Asked June 28, 2014, 11:53 AM EDT

I have hundreds of a golden body flies on a low yellow border flowers. Read that the male is a pollenator, which it is doing. BUT the word flies is causing me concern, should I use an insect spray to control them or just let them be?

Anoka County Minnesota

Expert Response

We haven't heard of a golden body fly, but some kinds of flies do feed on pollen.  Of these, various species of hover flies are common.  Do the flies resemble the one seen in this photo:

https://durhammastergardeners.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/syrphidclose.jpg

If so, they are harmless and beneficial.  Larvae of some hover fly species feed on aphids.

If you are seeing a different kind of fly, please reply to this message and attach a sharp closeup photo of the insect.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 28, 2014, 6:57 PM EDT
Looks like normal fly but it's body very golden. My neighbor commented on it also, she had never seen a fly that color.  Unless the fly is reflecting the gold color from flower.
The Question Asker Replied June 29, 2014, 3:37 PM EDT
The flies in the photo might be green bottle flies (Lucilia sericata) or a closely related species.

Compare here:
http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/142985763

http://www.fnanaturesearch.org/index.php?option=com_naturesearch&task=view&id=1062

The adult flies sometimes feed on nectar, but they and their larvae also subsist on carrion, excrement, etc.  Sanitation is the best way to control them.

Learn more here:

Summer Filth Flies
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/summer-filth-flies/



An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 29, 2014, 4:42 PM EDT

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