is this insect a good guy or a bad guy?

[luvmesump3pp3rz]

i see these insects sitting on my plants and i`m curious to if they are beneficial or not. do they help spread pollen? do they eat things like aphids? anyone know what they are? 
 

 

[acs1]

Not sure what they are, I've got them also. Mine are about 1/4" long and look identical to your pic. They land on the top of the leaf and seems to hang out for a while..? Haven't seen any damage, afaik...

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Bug ID Website

 

[Burning Colon]

i believe it is a hoverfly, 1 of 6000 possible species and yes to both of your questions.
the adult eats nectar and pollinate, the larvae consume lots of aphids.
they are commonly mistaken for bees or wasps.
the big kick is to get honeybees for pollination but there are so many plants that honeybees don't visit and the pollination falls on local/native bees and flies, like bumble bee, mason bee and hoverflies.

 

[luvmesump3pp3rz]

Bug ID Website

bookmarked! thanks for posting it. 

 

[luvmesump3pp3rz]

i believe it is a hoverfly, 1 of 6000 possible species and yes to both of your questions.
the adult eats nectar and pollinate, the larvae consume lots of aphids.
they are commonly mistaken for bees or wasps.
the big kick is to get honeybees for pollination but there are so many plants that honeybees don't visit and the pollination falls on local/native bees and flies, like bumble bee, mason bee and hoverflies.

thanks for the info. you are right about no honeybees in my garden. i usually see bumble bees and other assorted insects on the flowers but i never see honeybees. 

 

[solid7]

That is most certainly not a hoverfly.
.
In all likelihood, it is a species of long-legged fly.  If so, it's definitely helpful. 
.
http://www.cirrusimage.com/flies_longlegged.htm

 

[Sawyer]

I agree with solid7, long-legged fly, pics here:

https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Long-legged+fly&search=Search

From Wikipedia, "The adults are predators, feeding on small invertebrates including Collembola, aphids, and the larvae of Oligochaeta. Species of the genus Dolichopus commonly prey on the larvae of mosquitoes."

 

[Bicycle808]

That's rad. I see those little effers all the time. Many are that color, some are more of a copper or bronze color. I never knew they were predators, but I had also never suspected them of damaging my plants. They just seem to hang out on the top layer of the canopy, chillin'.

 

[luvmesump3pp3rz]

That's rad. I see those little effers all the time. Many are that color, some are more of a copper or bronze color. I never knew they were predators, but I had also never suspected them of damaging my plants. They just seem to hang out on the top layer of the canopy, chillin'.

exactly! the one pictured is a bright metallic green but looks slightly different in my photo. i just see them hanging out but i guess they serve a good deed for us but i`ve never seen them in action. 

 

[solid7]

I found out about them while researching different species of flies that cause leaf miners.  They were suspects on my list, at first. (flies, maggots, present at the scene of the crime - the profile fit)

 

[alkhall]

I also have these in the garden.
 
Not thought much about them, but good to know they are predators.