Eristalinae

Eristalinae (or Milesiinae) are one of the four subfamilies of the fly family Syrphidae, or hoverflies. A well-known species included in this subfamily is the common drone fly, Eristalis tenax.

Species in this subfamily are often misclassified as bees instead of flies due to their exceptional mimicry, especially to resemble Honeybees (family Apidae). The best strategy for proper identification is to look at their eyes and wings and compare with fly morphology, to determine membership of family Syrphidae or of order Hymenoptera.