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 How does hooverflies or flies overwinter ?
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| Makro Freak |
Posted on 21-11-2007 13:52
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 Member Location: Munich, Germany Posts: 179 Joined: 22.05.07 |
I really want to know how hooverflies overwinter. I've read that they dig in the ground. How i can find them in the wintertime ? Regards, Richie  |
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| Maddin |
Posted on 21-11-2007 18:56
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 Member Location: Sacramento CA USA Posts: 194 Joined: 30.06.05 |
it is a bit more complicated than this... There are many ways the flies can deal with the winter. Some are even active as adults an can be found alive and kicking outside, but most are in the hibernating state called diapause, and they can be as larvae (very common), as eggs or as pupae and not so common as adults hiding somewhere. They need protected moist places, but if it is too moist, the danger of being eating by fungi is big, if it is too dry, they will not survive. You can find Muscids and alike in the attic or under bark, but most of the time you will find pupae or larvae in the ground... Hope that answers your qestion a bit.. Martin Martin Hauser |
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| Kahis |
Posted on 21-11-2007 19:42
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 Member Location: Helsinki, Finland Posts: 1999 Joined: 02.09.04 |
Many of the common predatory hoverflies overwinter as full-grown larvae. The larvae hide among fallen leaves. In spring they creep to the topmost layer or up on tree trunks and pupate. I have had some success finding the overwintering larvae simply by searching through dead leaves. Good places to start searching are flood plains or other sites with occasionally submerged soil. The larvae will then search for drier ground and end up concentrated at the high-water mark, around old tree stumps etc. Many of the predatory syrphid larvae are heavily parasitised by small wasps, as you will soon see, if you try to rear them 
Kahis |
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| Makro Freak |
Posted on 21-11-2007 20:02
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Member Location: Munich, Germany Posts: 179 Joined: 22.05.07 |
Understand. Are they then close to their summer habbitat (the floral bushes) or are they spread wide in a forrest or a field and is there the same ammount of pupaes hidden now under the bark etc., as adult flies was flown around, i mean is it a decreased population during the wintertime ? Rick Edited by Makro Freak on 21-11-2007 20:10 |
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but don't see the image in the post.