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A1k3misT — A tiny hoverfly
#gardennature #hoverfly #insects #macrophotography #insecteyes
Published: 2015-08-05 20:38:15 +0000 UTC; Views: 422; Favourites: 19; Downloads: 0
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Comments: 12
Hello, 
Your image has been chosen for a contest organized by SkyAndNatureClub
You can see the poll here: skyandnatureclub.deviantart.co…
For more info, see this journal explaining the contest: skyandnatureclub.deviantart.co…
Asking for votes is not allowed. If you do this you will be disqualified.
Have a great day!
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Thanks a lot for adding my photo into the contest. I feel rewarded already!
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Great macro!
It's not a wasp though, but one of syrphids (Hover fly).
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Thanks a lot for the tip! I'm clearly not an entomologist and I didn't quite have the time to check what kind of species it is. These hover flies are a dream for macro photographer - very calm and they don't move too much, unlike other bugs.
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LOL! Neither am I, but as a matter of shared macro interest (and safety as only one of them can sting ya), there are a couple of very distinguishing features for quick reference:
Hoverfly compound eyes are huge occupying the vast majority of their head,
they have no "jaws" only tube-like mouth parts,
and their antenna are short roundish stubs ending in single thin hairs.
Notice the differences between your Hoverfly's face
and this Wasp shot by albatross1
Hoverfly maggots are a great defenders of the garden & are interesting subjects to shoot as well. (1 larvae will eat 400 aphids in just 10 days)
I have shots of a few in here the-dude-l-bug.deviantart.com/…
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I am quite familiar with wasps (I've got stung a few time in my life and they had a few nests in the loft of my parents' house), but the other similarly looking buggers were alien to me. I did some reading about hoverflies inspired by your input here, adn as you said they seem to play important role as "biological weapon" to keep aphids in check.
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Thank you, dear 
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