By Peterwild
United Kingdom 
I have lots of orange and black flying beasts with orange legs about 6-8 mm in length (a Syrphid fly) that appear to be eating my potatoe plants. Any ideas how to get rid of them
28 Jul, 2010
Answers
Many thanks for that, I just need to find out what is eating my plants now!!
29 Jul, 2010
Whilst whatever it is is eating your potato leaves it isn't eating anything else... as you can't eat the leaves I'd let them be. We've got aphids on a teasel which we are ignoring, better on that than the broad beans!
29 Jul, 2010
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The hoverflies are not eating your potato plants the adults feed on nectar and pollen just as bees and wasps do and help to pollenate plants. The larvae either eat decaying vegetation and animal matter or, depending on species, aphids, thrips and the like as such they are a very useful tool in the gardeners arsenal and are being looked at as a biological control.
28 Jul, 2010