Margined calligrapher
This small fly's yellow and black pattern mimics a stinging wasp, but as a true fly it has only one pair of wings and cannot sting at all.
| Where | Gardens, meadows and farmland |
|---|---|
| Size | 5 to 6 mm body length |
| When | April to November |
The margined calligrapher is a small hover fly with a black abdomen narrowly edged in yellow, and its eyes meet at the top of the head in males but stay separated in females.
Larvae hunt aphids, thrips and small caterpillars among garden and farm plants, while adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen, making the species useful for both pollination and pest control.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Black, Yellow
Active
Day
To people
Harmless to people; cannot sting or bite despite its wasp like colors.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Slightly larger at about 6 to 8 mm, with the dark abdominal pattern reaching the body's edge instead of the unbroken yellow margin of the Margined calligrapher.
Questions
Is the Margined calligrapher dangerous to people?
Harmless to people; cannot sting or bite despite its wasp like colors.
When can you see the Margined calligrapher?
The Margined calligrapher can be seen from April to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by eebee, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.