Nature as a Quilt: Tiny, Bristly Tachinid Flies

Hmmm, how many Tachinid Flies have buzzed around your feet but escaped your notice?

I have become an admirer of Tachinid Flies in the past year albeit mainly the larger ones that catch my eye. There are more than 8,200 known species of Tachinid Flies worldwide with over 1,300 species in North America alone. Save to assume that many of them escape the notice of even a bug enthusiast like myself.

What is so special about Tachinid Flies?

The sheer number of Tachinid Fly species makes them special in and of itself. But they are also notable because the larvae are parasitoids that develop inside a living host and in most cases kill it by feeding on its tissue. This may seem cruel but such are the complex mechanisms of nature. Adult Tachinid Flies, however, are not parasitic.

What do Tachinid Flies look like?

Tachinid Flies are quite varied in appearance. Some may be brilliantly coloured, like the ones displayed in this post, but most are rather drab resembling house flies. They are usually, however, bristlier and more robust. They range in size from 1/12 to 4/5 of any inch.

How long do they live and where?

Adult Tachinid Flies have only about a month to enjoy life. They can be found in almost all habitats resting on foliage, feeding at flowers or searching for hosts. If you have a flower or plant garden in your yard, there are likely Tachinid Flies making their home in it.

Where do they fit in the quilt of nature?

Many Tachinid Flies are important natural enemies of insect pests and therefore help keep the delicate balance of nature. Some species are used by humans for biological pest control. Adults feed on nectar from flowers and are therefore important pollinators.

Tiny, bristly Tachinid Flies – one more, fascinating patch in the quilt of nature stitched together by threads of interdependence and natural balance.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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