corn fly n chiefly Midl west of Appalachians Cf corn tassel fly (at tassel fly n)
A hover fly n found esp about blooming corn.
1879 IL State Entomol. Report 179, Other inveterate enemies of the plant-lice are certain two-winged flies which belong to the order Diptera and family Syrphidæ, of which the genus Syrphus is the type. . . These somewhat resemble the common house fly in size and shape, but are much handsomer, being usually of a bright yellow color, with bands and spots of black. . . They are known in some sections as “corn flies,” as they are often seen in great abundance, about the time the corn is in bloom, hovering around the stalks, poised in the air apparently almost motionless. 1966–70 DARE (Qu. R10, Very small flies that don’t sting) Infs AL38, KY88, Corn flies; IN45, Corn fly; (Qu. R12, . . Other kinds of flies) Inf SD2, Corn fly; (Qu. R13, Flies that come to meat or fruit) Inf MT5, Corn fly. 2003 Simpson W. KY Farm Hist. 292, The corn began to dry a little and our dad would say, “Let’s snap a load and break a land for corn shucking.” We knew we were in for it. The weeds were bad, the corn flies thick as all get out, the ole mule team was aggressive in eating green corn and it was hard to keep up in the August heat. 2008 in 2017 DARE File—Internet IN, The ones [=halictid bees] I see on my tomatoes are iridescent, beautiful little bugs. Not the ones that look like corn flies you see in the field corn when it’s in silk, or the sweat bees that light on you and bite you. 2014 Ibid cIN, I have a picture of said insect (That is what we in Indiana call them too . . corn fly or corn tassel fly). . . [Resp:] This looks to be Toxomerus politus. 2016 Evansville Courier & Press (IN) 4 Aug (Internet), This summer, there has been a noted increase in the hover fly population. You may also know the bug as the corn fly.