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Hoverflies don't get much publicity as beneficial insects unlike bees but they adore aphids, so that must be a good thing!
I came across this advice on how to attract hoverflies to the garden:-
"Attract adults by planting appropriate flower-rich habitats, but they will only remain if suitable densities of aphid prey are available. Hoverflies feed on the flowers of annual arable plants (such as cornflower, chickweed, knotweeds and shepherd’s purse) and hedgerow plants (wild carrot, cow parsley, hogweed and white campion). In addition, flower strips can be established specifically for hoverflies in and around fields containing coriander, buckwheat, phacelia or alyssum."
https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/id...ield-crops
I have lots of coriander seeds which I won't be growing (as I don't like it) and I'm sure I have phacelia and alyssum too. So my plan is to mix them up and sow a "flower strip" near the veg patch. There's cow parsley & hogweed already, though I'd happily get rid of the hogweed! Sorry hoverflies.
More info at https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/hoverflies
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