Pollination Powerhouses

A flower fly’s pollination skills are top-notch. These hard-working insects visit over 72% of crop plants worldwide (Rader et al. 2020), including raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, apple, cranberry, mango, avocado and sweet pepper (FAO 2018). Research has shown that flower flies can increase strawberry yields by 70% and double the proportion of marketable fruit when compared to hand pollination and insect pollinator exclusion (Hodgkiss et al. 2018). Even “self-fertile” crops benefit from flower fly visits – improving seed set and fruit quality (Mooney and McGraw 2007).

New Evidence: Multi-Species Pollination for Bigger, Healthier Crops
A groundbreaking study (James et al. 2024) compared strawberry pollination by bumblebees alone, flower flies alone, and a combination of the two. Their findings were game-changing:

• Bigger, better fruits: When bumblebees and flower flies both pollinated strawberries, farmers saw significantly higher fruit yield and better marketable quality than with bumblebees alone.
• Boosted Vitamin C: Strawberries grown under combined pollination had measurably higher vitamin C content, an important antioxidant for both human health and the plant’s own disease resistance.
• Different “Work Schedules”: Bumblebees are more active in the morning, while flower flies peak later, ensuring thorough pollination during the narrow window when strawberry flowers are receptive (only four days!). This complementary behavior led to more complete fertilization and higher-quality fruit.

These findings support what farmers and ecologists have long observed—greater pollinator diversity can enhance crop yield, fruit size, and nutritional value (Garibaldi et al. 2016; Herrmann et al. 2019). Flower flies, in particular, provide a vital edge when paired with other pollinators.