I found a pair of   Four-spotted Aphid Flies (Dioprosopa clavata) in  a mating flight at a pond near the intersection of Marion and Ponce De Leon Blvd in Punta Gorda.  It’s actually a nectar eater as an adult but it lays it’s eggs near aphids and their larvae prey on the aphids.

They are small (about 1/2 inch) and I needed to use manual focus to keep the camera from jumping to another subject.  Since they were moving, I’m quite happy to have gotten two shots that are halfway decent and this is the best of those two.

Unfortunately, I’m afraid there are going to be more aggressive mosquito control measures with the Zika Virus scare so we may be losing more of these beneficial insects.