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Wild about Gardens campaign asks us all to become hoverfly heroes

Gavin Dickson

Humble hoverfly needs our help, say Royal Horticultural Society and The Wildlife Trusts

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and The Wildlife Trusts are calling on gardeners across the country to help save hoverflies. This fly family is the second most significant pollinator after bees – some species of hoverfly are known to visit more flowers than bees.

These insects are unsung heroes of many of our ecosystems. Hoverflies visit 52% of crops globally[i] which they either pollinate or protect by eating sap-sucking aphids. Additionally, they pollinate wildflowers, are food for birds and even help break down organic matter in gardens.

Yet, intensive agriculture, harmful pesticides, urban development and climate change have all taken their toll. Hoverfly distribution has seen a 44% decline between 1980 to 2020[ii] and in 2022 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added hoverflies to its Red List of threatened species.

Hoverflies are masters of disguise. These stingless insects are often mistaken for wasps, bees or even hornets and the different types go by various common names such as Batman, Footballer and Marmalade, thanks to their distinctive markings and colours.

True flies have only one pair of flight wings (whereas bees and wasps have two) and they make up over 280 of the 6000 fly species in the UK. It can be easier to identify them by their behaviour than their looks, because they hover or even zigzag around plants.

Vicki Hird, author of Rebugging the Planet and strategic agriculture lead for The Wildlife Trusts, says:  

"Hoverflies are the hidden heroes of our gardens and countryside – but whatever their shape, size or disguise, they are critical for our food security.  They can thrive in well-managed woodlands and wetlands, but there is also so much we could be doing in our gardens to help.

“Providing a range of flowers to feed on through the year, ponds for larvae to grow in, dead wood to lay eggs in and even a few aphid pests for them to feed on, and you will have these gardeners' friends for life. And they are so helpful, and don't bite or sting. You can be a hoverfly champion by telling friends and family to cherish them.”

Helen Bostock, Senior Wildlife Specialist at the Royal Horticultural Society, says:

“We’d like people to open their garden gates to hoverflies this summer. These incredible insects help pollinate our plants, keep aphids in balance and break down rotting matter in the garden. Gardeners can help attract them by planting open, easily accessible flowers.  In spring, they’ll be drawn to aubretia. In summer, they’ll love blackberry flowers, oxeye daisy, marigolds, fennel, cow parsley and poppies. Come autumn, they can be seen on heather,  aster and even common ivy.”

Experts from the two charities have designed a series of projects for gardeners to help hoverflies in spaces large or small. These include:

  • Pollinator plant boxes: Ideal for small-space gardens or balconies, these can be jam-packed with flowering plants to suit the season, representing a giant buffet for visiting hoverflies.
  • Hoverfly lagoons: These are pools of shallow water where fallen leaves create a perfect breeding ground for many of the hoverfly species which have aquatic larvae.
  • Larvae nurseries: Log piles and even shrubs can make perfect homes for hoverfly larvae.

To identify which hoverflies are visiting your garden and to find out more about how you can help save this species, please visit www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk .

 

Editors Notes

[1]  Pollination by hoverflies in the Anthropocene

 

[1] The Status of Pollinating Insects, May 2024

 

The Royal Horticultural Society

Since our formation in 1804, the RHS has grown into the UK’s leading gardening charity, touching the lives of millions of people. Perhaps the secret to our longevity is that we’ve never stood still. In the last decade alone we’ve taken on the largest hands-on project the RHS has ever tackled by opening the new RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford, Greater Manchester, and invested in the science that underpins all our work by building RHS Hilltop – The Home of Gardening Science.

We have committed to being net positive for nature and people by 2030. We are also committed to being truly inclusive and to reflect all the communities of the UK. 

Across our five RHS gardens we welcome more than three million visitors each year to enjoy over 34,000 different cultivated plants. Events such as the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, other national shows, our schools and community work, and partnerships such as Britain in Bloom, all spread the shared joy of gardening to wide-reaching audiences.

Throughout it all we’ve held true to our charitable core – to encourage and improve the science, art and practice of horticulture –to share the love of gardening and the positive benefits it brings. 

For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk

RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

 

The Wildlife Trusts

The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 910,000 members and 39,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we care for and restore over 2,600 special places for nature on land and run marine conservation projects and collect vital data on the state of our seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year.

For more information visit www.wildlifetrusts.org

 

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