The feather-legged fly

You may know this little fly if you are a gardener who raises squash or pumpkins. You may have seen the feather-legged fly and not realized it is good to have this fly in your garden. It is a parasitoid, which means it lays its eggs on insects such as squash bugs and stink bugs. When the feather-legged fly's eggs hatch, the larvae feeds upon and kills its host stink bug, squash bug or other plant-eating insects.

The feather-legged fly gets its name from the feather-like hairs on its hind legs. This tiny fly is a bee mimic. It likes nectar from flowers, and it has the colors of a bee which help camouflage it from predators such as snakes and birds.

I photographed this one as it sat on my garden fence wire. The feather-legged fly is considered a beneficial insect.