Maize calligrapher
This wasp-striped fly cannot sting; its larvae hunt aphids among corn plants while the adults gather pollen from the same fields.
| Where | Cornfields, gardens and meadows |
|---|---|
| Size | 8 to 9 mm body length |
| When | July to September |
This small hover fly has a bronze-green thorax with a pale central stripe and a boldly patterned abdomen of black markings on a yellow ground, mimicking the warning colors of a wasp.
Larvae hunt soft-bodied insects such as aphids on corn plants, while the adults hover at flowers, especially corn tassels, feeding on pollen and helping to pollinate the crop.
Traits
Habitat
Farmland
Colour
Yellow, Black, Green
Active
Day
To people
Harmless to people; despite its wasp-like stripes it cannot sting.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Similarly small and hovering, the Margined Calligrapher shows a thin black line along the edge of the abdomen instead of the broad yellow cross-band and dark calligraphic lines of the Maize Calligrapher.
Questions
Is the Maize calligrapher dangerous to people?
Harmless to people; despite its wasp-like stripes it cannot sting.
When can you see the Maize calligrapher?
The Maize calligrapher can be seen from July to September, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Carlos Alexandre Mattos Raposo, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.