Flies

Although beetles are the dominant insect group worldwide, flies (Order Diptera, meaning "two wings") are more abundant in temperate regions. In the British Isles, there are about 7,000 species.

The young stages of flies - the larvae - are commonly found in the soil, water, plants, carrion, dung, dead wood - mostly places with high levels of moisture. Many are nectar feeders and play an important role as pollinators. That's the case of hoverflies; they are familiar garden visitors. Others feed on decaying matter and are important for recycling dung and dead animals.

Some species of Diptera, represent serious health problems.  Mosquitoes can transmit deadly diseases, including yellow fever, malaria and sleeping sickness. In Scotland, midges  can be a major nuisance because of their numbers in the summer months, but they are an important part of the food chain

Scotland is home of two hoverflies of special interest because of their rarity and the conservation efforts put together to protect them; they are the aspen hoverfly   and the pine hoverfly  . Other important species in Scotland are the craneflies  Scottish yellow splinter and the Northern yellow Splinter, and the stiletto fly Spiriverpa lunulata  .