Fly Pollinators - Notes

1/6/2013

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Flower Flies & Friends:
Fly Pollinators & Other
Beneficial Dipterans in the
Garden and the Wild
C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSU Dominguez Hills & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Arthur Johnson Center – Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Preserve
Project SOUND – 2012 (our 8th year) July 12, 2012
© Project SOUND © Project SOUND

Colony Collapse Disorder – our wake-up call
I’m worried about our food

 Global climate change
 Decreasing effectiveness of artificial pest control
 Loss of crop biodiversity
 Genetic modification of crop plants
 Loss of native habitat

http://bee-rapture.blogspot.com/2009/04/found-cause-of-colony-
collapse-disorder.html


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1/6/2013

Can we still find answers in the wild?

© Project SOUND Who in the heck are all those little guys? © Project SOUND

Class Insecta – the insects
Dipterans are numerous

 Flies actually represent a
large part of metazoan
diversity. There are about 1
million named insect species.
http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/2008/12/5/the-species-scape.html

 With ~152,000 named
species and many more
unnamed species, flies
account for no less than 1 in
10 species on Earth

 And most of those species
are living lives that benefit
the environment

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/entomology/intro.html
http://insects.tamu.edu/students/undergrad/ento402/Arthropoda_files/Arthropoda_number_organisms.html

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1/6/2013

Evolution of the
How many insect species? Difficult to
Flies
know for sure
 Some of the numbers of 1. There are many
named insects species are: families/sub-orders
of Dipterans
 Beetles, 360,000
 Butterflies and Moths: 2. There’s lots of
170,000 diversity among them
 Flies: 120,000-150,000+
 Bees, wasps and ants: 110,000 3. Families vary in size/
number of species
 True bugs: 82,000
 Grasshoppers: 20,000 4. Some of the sub-
 Dragonflies: 5,000 orders & families are
http://insects.tamu.edu/students/undergrad/ento402/Arthropoda_files/Arthropoda_number_organ
quite ancient, while
isms.html
others are more
recent
http://www.pnas.org/content/108/14/5690/F3.large.jpg

How old are the Some ancient Dipterans
Dipterans? look very similar to
today’s species

http://www.fossilmall.com/EDCOPE_Enterprises/Insects/I2/I2.htm

50 million year old Crane Fly

 Dipterans are successful insects that
have succeeded – and diversified –
over time
http://www.internal.schools.net.au/edu/lesson_ideas/dinosaurs/dino_wksht3.html

They must be well-adapted to their
http://destinationofmarvel.blogspot.com/2010/10/geological-timeline.html

 3,125 species are known only from fossils environment(s) – and tough (survived
 The oldest, a limoniid crane fly, is some 225 MILLION years massive climate changes in past)
old (Upper Triassic (Carnian). © Project SOUND
http://www.amberabg.com/a_for_sale/inclusions_zd22.html
© Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

http://biokeys.berkeley.edu/inverts/diptera.html

The true flies (Diptera)  One of the most species Distinguishing Diptera
rich, anatomically varied
and ecologically innovative (true flies) from bees
groups of organisms
 Diptera have only one pair of
 An estimated 150,000+ wings; a second pair of wings
species of Diptera have
evolved into small dumb-bell
been described, however,
the total number of extant
shaped "halteres", which are
fly species is many times used for balance during flight.
greater. Typical Fly (The two-winged fly is an
advancement in flight; that why
 The living dipteran species flies can hover)
have been classified into
about :  No stinger
 10,000 genera, 150
families  Sucking mouthparts
 22-32 superfamilies
 8-10 infraorders  Very large, compound eyes
 2 suborders
 Antennae: either long or short.
© Project SOUND http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-identify-the-basic-body-parts-of-honey-bees.html © Project SOUND

Bee mimics are common
Full 4-stage life cycle (like a butterfly)
among Dipterans

 Some flies, such as syrphids,
 Egg - laid in a variety of
masquerade as bees and wasps.
environments, based on
However, the pollinating flies can
The syrphid fly is a bee mimic.
species
Photo by Beatriz Moisset 2002-2004.
be distinguished with a sharp eye –
or better yet, a camera.  Larva – usually several
stages – wide variation in
 The flies have only one pair of
food sources (parasitic;
wings while bees and wasps have
plant; dung; decaying
two pairs of wings.
matter
 Comical, robust and extremely hairy
 Pupa – brief or may
are the bee flies (bombylids), some
include a hibernation
with tongues as long as their
bodies!  Adult
The tachnid fly is similar in general
appearance to bees or wasps.

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1/6/2013

Flies have gotten a bad reputation
Flies have been disliked in many cultures
 Just a few species of flies
command the most public attention

 Among them are important pests:
 House flies – pesky; bite; carriers
 Horse flies “
 Mosquitoes “
Housefly: Musca domestica
 Blow-flies flies

http://avaxhome.ws/video/fly_tales.html

But their attributes have been
elevated to hero status in
others
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-fly
Blue-bottle Fly: a common Blow-fly
http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2011/08/unseen-fly-justice-of-chen-fang.html
© Project SOUND Horse-fly: family Tabanidae © Project SOUND

Why don’t we hear more about the good Why we should worry about Dipterans:
Dipterans? importance of flies to ecosystems
 They are harder to study &
watch/photograph/raise  Pollinators

 They are less specialized –  Pest control agents – aphids,
people tend to like to study beetle grubs, moth caterpillars
specialized creatures
 Food for others (bats; reptiles;
 They are not as cute as other fish; birds; other insects)
pollinators – ‘fuzzy bees’ – lacking
 Decomposers & soil conditioners
in the charisma department
 Water quality indicators
 They have gotten a bad rap – the
‘yuck factor’  And much more (including some
functions we probably don’t even
 They need a new PR person
know yet)
http://www.zazzle.com/house_fly_t_shirt-235110274153973276
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0341816203001280

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1/6/2013

Why worry about pollinators? Why worry about Dipterans? Can’t the
 Pollinators are “keystone organisms” bees do the pollination work?
in most terrestrial ecosystems.
 Pollinators are essential for  Flies and bees are the two most
maintaining the integrity, important insect pollinator groups.
productivity and sustainability of
many types of ecosystems: natural  Over 71 families of Diptera are
areas, pastures, fields, meadows, known to visit and pollinate
roadsides, many agricultural crops, flowers, linking the fate of plants
fruit orchards, and backyard
and animals.
vegetable and flower gardens.
 Without insect pollinators, many  Depending on the region, the time
flowering plants would eventually It turns out the pollination is of the day, the flowering
become extinct. a lot more complex than phenology and weather conditions,
flies may be the main or
 Without the work of pollinators, early agricultural studies
exclusive pollinators, or share
many fruit- and seed-eating birds lead us to believe
pollination services with bees and
and some mammals, including people,
would have a less varied and less other pollinator groups.
healthy diet. © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

Even before colony collapse disorder, Diptera – our oldest and most wide-
some people were concerned… spread pollinators
 Depending on a single source
 Diptera, the true flies, are an
– for anything – should make
important, but neglected
us all nervous
group of pollinators.
 Better to ‘diversify the
portfolio’ – Dipterans are a  They are an ancient group,
part and were probably among the
first pollinators of early
flowering plants.

 Flies live almost everywhere
http://therealnewsjournal.com/?tag=colony-collapse-disorder in terrestrial ecosystems –
http://urbangardencasual.com/2009/04/28/possible-cure-
arctics to tropics
for-honey-bee-colony-collapse-disorder-discovered/

 Are abundant in most
European Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
terrestrial habitats


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1/6/2013

Fly pollinators: specialists & generalists In some situations, flies are the main
pollinators, so they clearly have potential
 Dipterans are an extremely diverse
group, varying in mouth parts, tongue
length, size and degree of pilosity.  In some habitats, such as the
forest under-story where shrubs
 The diversity of flower-visiting flies is may produce small, inconspicuous,
reflected in their effectiveness as dioecious flowers, flies seem to be
pollinators. Some flies, such as long- particularly important pollinators.
http://www.geraniumsonline.com/pollination.htm tongued tabanids of South Africa,
have specialized relationships with
 In arctic and alpine environments,
individual flower genera/species (much
under conditions of reduced bee
like some bees/butterflies)
activity, flies are often the main
 Other flies are generalists, feeding pollinators of open, bowl-shaped
from a wide variety of flowers. But flowers, with readily accessible
they like to visit many of the same pollen and nectar.
type while they’re in the neighborhood
http://scienceblogs.com/myrmecos/2008/12/31/slurp/

How do the Dipterans compare to other
How does Mother Nature play it safe with pollinators? The experts say…
regards to pollination?
 Many flies are generalists; their contributions
to plant reproductive success are sometimes
 Most insect pollinated flowers receive visits discounted because of their reputation as
from several different types of insects: ineffective pollinators.
bees, flies, beetles, bugs, etc.
 However, the complexity of interactions in
 In a study of 2200 CA plant species: redundant pollination systems is little studied
& deserves further attention.
By hedging her odds
 71% of the out-crossing species were visited
by two potential pollinators  When multiple pollinator species visit the
 49% were visited by three or more potential same flowers, their respective value as
pollinators pollinators is interdependent and may
differ from year-to-year or even over the
 Redundancy in pollination systems is
course of the flowering season.
probably the rule, rather than the
exception.  Inefficient pollinators are needed when the
more efficient pollinators are absent

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1/6/2013

Bee vs Fly pollination: the tortoise & the hare Oregon study: Mountain Meadows -
Presence of host plant pollen
 Conditions affecting bee populations can be
Syrphid flies Bumble bee
quite different from those affecting fly
populations due to the great difference in
larval requirements.

 Many types of flies have few hairs when
compared to bees, and pollen is less likely to
adhere to the body surface. But under
conditions when bees are scarce, an
inefficient pollinator is better than none.

 Higher flight activities of flies may well
compensate lower pollen carrying capacity.
Even in cases where honeybees are abundant
on flowers and specialised bees are foraging,
flower flies (Syrphidae) can be the most
effective pollinators producing the highest Present Absent
seed set. © Project SOUND

Cultivated plants pollinated by flies
So what kinds of plants are known to be
 More than 100 cultivated crops are regularly visited by flies and
Dipteran pollinated? depend largely on fly pollination for abundant fruit set and seed
production . Examples:
 At least seventy-one of the 150
Diptera families include flies that  The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao)
feed at flowers as adults.  Tropical fruits such as Mango (Mangifera indica), Capsicum annuum and
Piper nigrum, pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
 More than 550 species of flowering  Fruit-bearing Rosaceae: Apple (Malus domestica) and Pear (Pyrus
communis) trees, strawberries (Fragaria vesca, F. x ananassa), Prunus
plants are regularly visited by
species (cherries, plums, apricot and peach), Sorbus species (e.g.
Diptera that are potential Rowanberry) and most of the Rubus-species (Raspberry, Blackberry,
pollinators. And that’s just the tip Cloudberry etc.) as well as the wild rose
Drone fly pollinating aster of the iceberg: few fly pollinator  Spices and vegetable plants of the family Apiaceae like fennel (Foeniculum
surveys exist! vulgare), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), caraway (Carum carvi), kitchen
onions (Allium cepa), parsley (Petroselinum crispum) and carrots (Daucus
 Diptera have been documented to carota)
be primary pollinators for many  In addition a large number of wild relatives of food plants, numerous
plant species, both wild and medicinal plants and cultivated garden plants benefit from fly
cultivated. pollination.

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1/6/2013

What native plants attract fly pollinators? Why are these plants ‘insect magnets’?
The ‘insect-magnet’ plants
 Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
 Yarrow (Achillea millefolia)
 Goldenrods (Solidago & Euthamia spp.)
 Fall-blooming shrubs (Baccharis; Ericameria; Goldenbushes,
Tarplants

 Rose family
 Pink and white-flowered species

 The Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.)


Western Yarrow – Achilla millefolia The Yarrows – horticultural plants extraordinaire

 Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower
family)
 Cultivated in Europe ??thousands
of years
 About half a dozen species are
commonly grown as garden plants
 Natural variation in color has been
exploited – many named cultivars –
yellow, pink, red, purple
 The species name, millefolium-of a
thousand leaves-describes the
fine, feathery foliage which
resembles a fern.
http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/Cornell_Herbaceous
/plant_pages/Achilleamillefolium.html

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1/6/2013

Western Yarrow – Achilla millefolia Western Yarrow can be used in many ways!

 Found in most of CA  Slopes, hillsides
 60-100 species of Achillia  Mixtures
worldwide – northern
hemisphere  Good garden plant for fresh or dry
floral arrangements
 In CA, found in seasonally wet
places:  Foliage is pleasantly fragrant when
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,615,616 crushed – used for tea, medicinals
 Meadows and pastures
 Along stream edges  Can be mowed to form a highly
 In sand dunes competitive ground cover to
control soil erosion.
 Along alkali sinks
 On coastal strand  Flowers!!!
 In coastal grasslands
 In Coastal Sage Scrub and  Good butterfly/insect plant
Chaparral

http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/astera/achil/achimilv.jpg J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Success with Yarrow Why Yarrow makes a good lawn substitute
is almost guaranteed
 Spreads quickly, giving good
 Yarrow can endure dry, cover
impoverished soil  Super for banks and other areas
that can’t easily be mowed
 Survives with little
maintenance – neglect  Spreading habit inhibits weeds
 Best in full sun; grows but less  Can be mowed – occasionally and
flowering in shade on high setting w/ rotary mower

 A true perennial taking two  Companion plant – attracts
beneficial insects, repels others
years to become established
 Does well on poor, dry, sandy
 Included in most commercial soils where other plants grow
mixed ‘native lawn’ mixes poorly
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/yarrow.JPG

Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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1/6/2013

What is it about Yarrow that attracts? So we’ve discovered one type of ‘fly plant’
 Myophily
 Adult flies feed on nectar & pollen; less
often on fruit
 Common examples: bee flies
(Bombyliidae), hoverflies (Syrphidae)
 Regularly visit flowers to feed, while also
pollinating.

 Sapromyophily
 Adults normally visit dead animals or
 White/pink color dung to lay eggs.
 Many tiny flowers per cluster; many clusters per plant  Attracted to flowers that mimic these
 Flower structure relative open; easy to access odoriferous items. These plants have a
strong, unpleasant odor, and are brown
 Floral clusters relatively flat – also allows easy access
Skunk cabbage's strong smell or orange in color.
 +/- Sweet scent and dark color attract carrion  The plant may have traps to slow them
 Produce lots of high quality nectar & pollen flies that lay their eggs thinking
down and become inadvertent pollinators
© Project SOUND
that it is rotting flesh. © Project SOUND

 Pale color (whites, pinks, What native plants attract fly pollinators?
Myophily fly flowers purples and blues most common)
The ‘insect-magnet’ plants
 Dull surface; may be nectar
 Sunflower family (Asteraceae)
guides
 Yarrow (Achillea millefolia)
 Produce abundant pollen  Native Thistles (Cirsium)
 Goldenrods (Solidago & Euthamia spp.)
 Produce high quality nectar  Fall-blooming shrubs (Baccharis; Ericameria; Goldenbushes

 Flower are open; nectar easily  Rose family
available  Pink and white-flowered species

 Male and female parts of the  The Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.)
flower are well exposed.
 Native Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.)
 Many of these flowers are
 The Mustard family (Brassicaceae)
Buckwheats (Eriogonum) are good scented, but for the most part,
candidates as fly flowers the scent is imperceptible.  Euphorbia & Sedum species

© Project SOUND
 The Carrot family (Apiaceae) © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Water Parsley – Oenanthe sarmentosa Water Parsley – Oenanthe sarmentosa

 Coastal California to
British Columbia Canada;
also western Sierra
foothills

 Local historically: Ballona,
West LA, San Pedro, Long
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,478,480 Beach (Bixby Ranch)

 Grows in marshes, ditches,
pond edges, slow-moving
streams, seasonally wet
places, from near coastline
up to ~ 5000 ft.

© 2002 Brad Kelley
© 2006, G. D. Carr

Large plants in the Carrot Family Queen Anne’s Lace: natural roadsides
and grandmother’s garden
 Actually a garden escape – like ‘Wild
Mustard’ or ‘Wild Radish’ – a weed that has
naturalized extensively.

 A true carrot - Daucus carota;
domesticated carrots are cultivars of
Daucus carota ssp. sativus.
 Native to temperate regions of Europe,
southwest Asia

 The plant was introduced into this country
during colonial times. It probably came
* Henderson’s Angelica – across the ocean in sacks of grain, perhaps
Water Parsley – Angelica hendersonii with the Pilgrims.
Common Cowparsnip – Oenanthe
sarmentosa
Heracleum maximum  Should NOT be planted – use our natives
4-8 ft. tall; very large coarse leaves
from the Carrot family instead.

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1/6/2013

 Size:
Looks rather like Leaf Celery  2-4 ft tall
Flowers are numerous
 2-3 ft wide  Blooms
 Late spring to summer: usually
 Growth form: May to July in Western L.A.
 Herbaceous perennial; dies County
back in fall/winter
 Weak, succulent stems  Flowers:
 Many-branched  Tiny white flowers typical of the
Carrot family (Apiaceae); old-
© 2003 Lee Dittmann  Foliage: fashioned look
 Compound leaves - oddly  Flowers more loosely packed –
pinnate (simple or double) – can usually see the compound
margins coarsely toothed umbels easily
 Overall shape triangular  Flowers attract a wide range of
 Anise Swallowtail larval food nectaring insects: butterflies,
 Handle with gloves – may native bees, flies & others
cause skin allergies
 Seeds:
 Roots: fibrous roots and slender  Flat, ribbed seeds
white rhizomes - spreads © 2004, Ben Legler
 Use fresh seeds; multiple rinses
© 2011 Zoya Akulova © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

Easy to grow with  Soils: Water Parsley in the Garden
 Texture: most
adequate water  Excellent choice for large containers – can
 pH: any local
provide the moisture it needs + contain
 Light:  Around ponds, water gardens; in pots in
 Full sun to light/dappled shallow water
shade for good flowering  Moist woodland habitat gardens
 Seeds/roots used as an emetic, pounded
 Water: roots used as a laxative
 Winter: tolerates very moist
conditions, even shallow
standing water
 Summer: like moist soil –
Water Zones 2-3 or 3

 Fertilizer:
 Fine with light fertilizer
 Leaf mulch will add some
nutrients

 Other: organic mulch http://flickriver.com/photos/eastbaywilds/sets/7
© Project SOUND 2157621911287568/ © 2012 Aaron Arthur © Project SOUND
© 2004, Ben Legler

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1/6/2013

What pollinator flies will we attract with Family  Large family: ~ 6000 named species

Water Parsley? Syrphidae  Often called syrphids, hover flies, flower
flies or sweat bees. Small/medium size

 The most important fly pollinators  Occur in wide range of habitats worldwide:
are Hover Flies (Syrphid flies) and dunes, salt/freshwater marsh, all grassland
Bee Flies (Bombyliidae family) ecosystems, scrub and forest-ecosystems

 There are many others that visit  Lots of variability – example: short- and
flowers to feed on nectar. very long-tongued species

 The common fly pollinators have
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Syrphidae.htm
 Visit wide range of flowers and can
developed yellow and black stripes transport pollen long distances
on their abdomens, though they  Important pollinators: regional studies in
are not related to bees or wasps. Europe (Ssymank 2001) showed that up to
This is probably a defense 80% of the regional flora may be visited by
mechanism to deter predators; flower flies. Important in local habitats.
flies pretending to be stinging
insects, though they cannot sting.  Very convincing mimicry of bees and wasps:
black with yellow or orange; narrow waist

Family  Adults feed on pollen and nectar, Why do flies visit flowers?
larvae eat plant materials or are
Syrphidae predators on other insects, most  The most important is for food : nectar and sometimes
notably aphids (~ 40% of species pollen. Pollen is rich in proteins, which is required by some
are predators). adult flies before they can reproduce.

 Female hover fly usually lays her  To lay eggs: the larvae feed on flower heads, developing
eggs near aphid colonies. The fly fruits/seeds or insect pests
larvae feed on insect pests, mainly
aphids, as well as scales and  Because they’ve been tricked (scent/appearance that mimics
caterpillars. the carcasses where they normally lay their eggs)

 Aphids cause annual damage to  To keep warm: in arctic and alpine habitats, some flowers
crops and plants, making the hover attract flies by providing a warm shelter.
flies important agents in natural  As rendezvous sites for mating. Large numbers of flies will
biological control. congregate at a particular type of flower
 Routinely used as a biological
control agents in many agricultural
crops like California lettuce. the byproduct of all these behaviors can be pollination

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1/6/2013

Showy Milkweed – Asclepias speciosa Showy Milkweed – Asclepias speciosa
 Western N. America from Canada to
Baja; throughout CA
 Open areas at low elevations in dry
to moist, loamy to sandy soil
 Often in areas that are seasonally
flooded or quite damp

© 2004 George W. Hartwell

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?583,586,599
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/floramw/species/asclspec.htm

Showy Milkweed: a stout perennial Flowers are…showy!
 Size:
 Blooms:
 2-5+ ft tall  In summer: May-Sept
 Spreading by rhizomes; often
 usually July-Aug in our area
forms a clump
 Flowers:
 Growth form:
 Large compared to other
 Drought/winter deciduous milkweeds ; sweet scent
perennial
 Pale pink or purple – in
 Stems stout, succulent, erect or
dense, ball-like clusters
nearly so
 Very showy in bloom – among
 Foliage: our prettiest perennials
 Leaves large 96-8 inches long),
 Seeds:
gray-green, velvety
 Relatively large, with silky
 Milky sap typical of Milkweeds
parachute (typical of
 Larval food, Monarch Butterflies milkweeds)
 Roots: stout taproot; don’t move once  Seed pods are 3-5" long and
© 2005, Ben Legler
established. are either spiny or smooth.
© 2005, Ben Legler

15

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