Given that I started out with a slight aversion to hoverflies that has now morphed into fondness, I have found that my own innate behaviors can also be altered. Perhaps I am the one who is being experimented upon...
Hoverflies live on all continents except for Antarctica. Since they are generalist pollinators, different flies must navigate the vastly different landscapes of the Amazon rainforest, the Himalayas, coastal regions, etc. in search of flowers.
Try spotting hoverflies in your own garden! Although they might look like bees or wasps, you can recognize them from afar by their striking flight patterns. They hover next to flowers, which is where they got their name, and maintain a surprisingly constant position in the air, unlike other insects which appear to fly around more randomly.
Adult hoverflies rely on pollen and nectar from flowers to survive. They are born with an innate attraction to certain floral colors and odors, which helps them find their first meal. However, as they spend more time in the world they have the capability to alter this innate attraction based on what they experience in the environment, whether it's bitter quinine solution or some other pleasant or unpleasant stimulus they encounter in the wild.
Although the Eristalis tenax hoverflies I work with are commonplace across the world, there are several other species of hoverflies that are endangered. Insect populations in general are declining rapidly, largely due to habitat loss.
