Billions of Flies Migrate Thousands of Miles Each Spring
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- Fly migration spans continents seasonally, with some populations beginning life in Iran and ending it in the UK, while others hatch in India and migrate to Mongolia, China, and Siberia.
- British Isles fly families number 108, and more than half contain pollinator species — including biting midges (Ceratopogonidae), which pollinate the plant from which chocolate is made.
- Hoverflies serve dual ecological roles: adults pollinate flowers while larvae recycle organic waste or prey on species that damage flowers and crops, with some larvae camouflaged to resemble bird droppings.
- Tachinidae (punk flies) larvae prey on oak processionary moths (Thaumetopoea processionea), an invasive species that arrived in Britain in 2006 and causes rashes, conjunctivitis, and severe anaphylaxis via needle-thin defensive hairs.
- Phoridae (ant-decapitating flies) have been shipped to the US to control invasive fire ants from South America, targeting them species-specifically while leaving native ant populations unharmed.
- Tachinidae include a species named after Arnold Schwarzenegger for its bulging legs, measuring just a third of a millimetre long.
Why it matters: Recognizing flies as pollinators and pest controllers changes how conservation and agriculture might value them — over half of Britain's 108 fly families contain pollinators, and larvae already suppress invasive oak processionary moths (in Britain since 2006) and US fire ants without harming native species.
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