10 things you didn’t know about hoverflies — our gardens' unsung heroes

Many go by the names the Footballer, Batman and Marmalade and hoverflies pollinate more than half the world's crops. Here's how to help them survive

Marmalade hoverfly on a buttercup. Picture: Richard Burkmar/The Wildlife Trusts/PA

They work as hard as bees to pollinate our plants, often look and sound like bees but have no sting — yet hoverflies remain the unsung heroes of our gardens.

We can make room for these beneficial insects in our gardens this summer by building log piles, planting flowers and creating shallow ponds.