Never seen this type of fly in the garden before

NIMAN

Sorry, but got no pictures as of now.
Not even sure if correct forum.

Today during the good weather I noticed A LOT of this type of fly in my back and front gardens.

Its of normal size, black in colour. Main identifying feature would be that when hovering its tail/end/stinger is curved upwards in a 'U' shape.

Never noticed this one before, anyone know what type of insect it is?

redser7

Crazy, I noticed loads of them yesterday at the allotment. They were quite striking being so black and how they hovered. Haven't seen anything like them before.

Ilyushin76

Could it be a bibio marci

NIMAN

Not sure if thats it or not, but I was out again today and there was literally thousands of them around.

Don't recall seeing them in the garden before, and definitely in such quantities. Have we a new arrival on the scene this year?

Just checked google images, and none of them in flight have a tail curved as much as these ones I seen, but to be fair they do look very similar.

mr.wiggle

Must be hawthorn flies, they all appear about this time of year.
Makes jogging in the countryside very interesting for the next few weeks !


Hawthorn Fly
On sunny spring days, hawthorn flies flit along the hedgerows and among low bushes; and if there is a good breeze, particularly on exposed upland streams and lakes, very many of these large flies end up on the water. These are the first of the terrestrial insects to cause a worthwhile rise.

The large female hawthorn flies begin hatching around St Mark's day, which is 25th April, although their smaller mates are sometimes seen a week or so earlier. The hatch is generally over by mid May.

In meadowland you will often see swarms of hawthorn flies rushing about just above head height. Once on the water, it is rare for a hawthorn fly to escape the attention of trout.