Hover flies how to get rid of them

[clairabelle]

I thought we had a swarm of wasps in the conservatory today and have used a whole can of fly spray trying to eliminate them. Dh just home and has examined them and reliably informs me they are hover flies but how do I get rid of them? There are hundreds of them!

[kalex]

Not a clue, but will bump this 4 you

[whizzz]

we've also had quite a few hover flies in our conservatory although not hundreds. Rather than fly spray, I got a Rentokil Fly Killer pen. Its like a marker pen & you just draw on your windows - it doesn't leave any mark & seems to kill flies on contact (you get a nice pile on your window sill - yuk). Don;t know how to prevent them in the first place other than trying citronella candles etc.

[prufrock]

You can't according to an article in tonights evening standard. But they are harmless. They are attracted to bright colours, and don't like standard insect repellent.

[throckenholt]

they are harmless and also very good for the environment in that they eat aphids.

They are generally smaller than wasps, don't look so mean and don't buzz in the sinistre way !

They are very prevalent this year - we have lots here (Norfolk), and have heard of plagues of them on the Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex coasts in the last few days.

Try and ignore them - they will go away in a few days.

[champs]

sorry to highjack....
dont they sting then?! was running away from them and treating them with the same mistrust as wasps and bees

[Marina]

Champs, hoverflies are a nuisance in that they love bright colours and will come and sit on you, but they are harmless, promise. We have a cloud of them under our pergola, making an annoying tic-tic-tic sound as they bump against the roof, but their babies are eating every aphid in sight, as Throckenholt says, so they are welcome guests in our garden (unlike wasps who deserve to die die DIE).