INSECTS

DIPTERA / TRUE FLIES

Spectacled Berry Fly is a tiny (5-6mm) distinctive fruit fly that usually makes a peak appearance during July when it is seen on woodland hedgerows running around on leaves to display itself. It has a grey thorax and abdomen and a brown head and scutellum.The wings are marked with black curving lines towards the wing-tips which somewhat resemble spectacles, hence the common name. The larvae feed inside the fruits of various berries such as those hawthorn.

Dark-edged Bee-fly is a harmless two-winged insect that resembles a small bumblebee about 12mm long. The long proboscis is used for drinking nectar and does not sting. This species is usually seen in spring resting on leaf litter or hovering above flowers. Its larvae eat bee and wasp larvae.

Semaphore Flies are seen in large groups around Hainault Lake and the forest ponds from May to August. They rest on vegetation, the water's surface and mud. Males have white wing tips that are flapped to attract females with a mating dance.

Phasia hemiptera is a distinctive fly found on plants such as WIld Carrot and Yarrow from May to August. Females lay eggs on Shieldbugs. When the larvae hatch out they consume the unfortunate host.

Thick-headed Fly visits hedgerows and meadows during summer and autumn where it feeds on nectar and pollen. The yellow head has large reddish-brown bulging eyes. This species measures up to 12mm in length. 

Thistle Gall Fly visits grassland from spring until autumn. It lays eggs on Creeping Thistle where the emerging larvae burrow into the stem and form a swollen stem gall.

Banded General is a slow and cumbersome Soldier Fly that visits umbellifers and bramble in wet areas from June to August. It looks like a very flat wasp with bright yellow markings. It carnivorous larvae are found in the lake, ponds and ditches. Essex Field Club recorder Del Smith said: "Quite a few Essex records, but never common. One record for Hainault in 1983. A striking fly, I spent a huge amount of time recording diptera in Dagnam Park in 76-85 and never found it. It's a bit hard to miss so I doubt it was present then. Going by the records I have it doesn't seem to be increasing either."

Locust Blowfly may look superficially like a Hoverfly, but it is actually a mid-sized Blowfly; a migrant, usually originating from Africa that visits Michaelmas daisies, umbellifers and other flowers. This species predates on locust eggs and is occasionally seen in Britain during late-summer and autumn. The banded eyes are very distinctive. Males have reddish eyes.

Snipe Flies inhabit damp shaded locations and are usually seen from May to July. This carnivorous species preys on small creatures passing the spot where it is perched. The larvae that live in leaf mould are also carnivorous.