On for the PH Entomologists.

[cazzer]

Lookin out of the window at the trees, there appears to be a drama in miniature being played out there.

There are about a dozen, what I would call hover flies, out there at the moment.
Currently they seem to be retiring to neutral corners of the sky for about 10 second. Hovering, giving each other the evil eye, then all darting into the middle for a mass dogfight akin to summer 1940.
This goes on for about 30 seconds then they retire to neutral corners to give each other the paddington hard stare again.

They've been doing it for about an hour now.

Does anyone know what they are or what they're up to?

[ShadownINja]

They're fighting over who leads the attack when they eat you.

[havoc]

cazzer said:

Does anyone know what they are or what they're up to?

Practicing tonights ambush on you when you're asleep?

Distracting you while their mates nip round the back and nick your dog?

[Sunglasses Ron]

cazzer said:

Lookin out of the window at the trees, there appears to be a drama in miniature being played out there.

There are about a dozen, what I would call hover flies, out there at the moment.
Currently they seem to be retiring to neutral corners of the sky for about 10 second. Hovering, giving each other the evil eye, then all darting into the middle for a mass dogfight akin to summer 1940.
This goes on for about 30 seconds then they retire to neutral corners to give each other the paddington hard stare again.

They've been doing it for about an hour now.

Does anyone know what they are or what they're up to?

Yes, it's called hover fly dogfighting. Basically they hover about for 10 seconds staring menacingly at each other, then they have 30 second brawl. This normally lasts for about an hour.

[AndrewW-G]

Mating ritual?

[Simpo Two]

AndrewW-G said:

Mating ritual?

No thanks.

[cazzer]

You know, sometimes, when you've finished typing the question, you just know you shouldn't press submit.

[BarnatosGhost]

they are either shagging, or squabbling over who gets to do the shagging.

This might on one level sound like useful information, but it isn't, since the only things any species ever does, ever, is shag or squabble over who gets to do the shagging.