Webinar: Flies and Wasps (Great Southeast Pollinator Course, Week Six)
Webinar Date: July 21, 2026
Speakers: Dr. Jason Schmidt (University of Georgia, Tifton campus); Dr. Scott Clem (Illinois State University); Gabrielle LaTora (UGA Extension, Fulton County)
Moderator: Becky Griffin (UGA Extension, course host)
Series: Great Southeast Pollinator Course
Source: Corrected SRT (Stage 1), GTBOP_Transcript_2026-07-21_FliesAndWasps.srt (282 blocks); Archive Package (Stage 2) for structural reference
Audience note: This is a self-paced comprehension check for home gardeners, Master Gardener volunteers, and Great Southeast Pollinator Census counters. It is not a licensed-applicator CEU exam, and no applicator credit attaches to this course. Every question and every answer comes only from what the three speakers said in this session.
Question set: 15 multiple-choice questions; 6 Recall, 6 Application, 3 Analysis. Coverage spans all three presenter segments and the closing Q&A: Schmidt’s biodiversity opening (0:00–17:42), Clem’s fly half (18:33–52:46), LaTora’s wasp half (53:06–1:14:56), and the audience Q&A (1:14:57–1:20:45).
Question 1
Timestamp Reference: 5:32 – 5:54
Difficulty: Recall
Dr. Schmidt cited the Insect Atlas for a figure on how much of animal life is insect life. What was it?
a) About 40% of all animal species in the world are insects
b) About 65% of all animal species in the world are insects
c) About 90% of all animal species in the world are insects
d) About 99% of all animal species in the world are insects
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: Schmidt said estimates suggest around 90% of all animal species in the world are insects, and that outside of bacteria and fungi they are among the most abundant living things.
Source in transcript: Blocks 23–24 (~5:32–6:21).
Question 2
Timestamp Reference: 9:30 – 11:00
Difficulty: Analysis
Schmidt walked through the life stages of the predator Geocoris punctipes. Why does a nymph of this insect do a different job in the garden than the adult does?
a) The nymph feeds on nectar while the adult feeds on prey
b) The nymph has no wings and cannot reproduce, so it moves and functions only very locally
c) The nymph lives underwater and the adult lives on plants
d) The nymph is larger than the adult and eats larger prey
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Schmidt pointed out that the tiny nymph has no wings, so it can only wander locally, and it has no reproductive parts. Wings and reproductive parts both arrive at the final molt, which is what changes what the insect can do.
Source in transcript: Blocks 36–39 (~9:30–11:00).
Question 3
Timestamp Reference: 20:36 – 22:08
Difficulty: Recall
Dr. Clem gave one rule to fall back on when you cannot tell a fly from a bee or wasp. What was it?
a) Count the legs
b) Count the wings
c) Count the antennal segments
d) Watch whether it lands on the flower or hovers
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: “When in doubt, count the wings.” Clem said flies have one pair (two wings) while bees and wasps have four. He paired it with three supporting characters: very large eyes, short antennae, and no scopa.
Source in transcript: Blocks 68–71 (~20:36–22:08).
Question 4
Timestamp Reference: 24:15 – 25:05
Difficulty: Application
You want to spend an hour counting pollinating flies in your garden in September. Based on what Clem said about fly activity, when do you go out?
a) Midday, when temperatures peak and insects are most active
b) Morning or late afternoon, staying out of the heat of the day
c) After dark, when most flower flies feed
d) Only on overcast days, since flies avoid all direct sun
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Clem said flies are active during cooler times (mornings and late afternoon rather than the heat of the day) and that they tend to forage more in the shade. He also noted several species turn up in greater abundance in spring and fall.
Source in transcript: Blocks 84–87 (~24:15–25:05).
Question 5
Timestamp Reference: 28:45 – 29:47
Difficulty: Analysis
Clem described the Nematocera: midges, mosquitoes, crane flies, as poor pollinators on a per-visit basis. Why did he still count them as significant pollinators?
a) They carry more pollen grains per visit than bees do
b) They are so numerous that their combined visits add up to a significant amount of pollination
c) They are the only insects active in the temperature range most flowers open in
d) They pollinate exclusively crop plants rather than wild plants
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: Clem’s point was volume, not efficiency. He called them among the most numerous flying insects in most terrestrial ecosystems, and said sheer numbers make their combined contribution to pollination significant even though any one visit does little.
Source in transcript: Blocks 102–104 (~28:45–29:47).
Question 6
Timestamp Reference: 31:25 – 31:52
Difficulty: Recall
Which crop did Clem use to make the case that tiny flies carry a major industry?
a) Blueberries, pollinated primarily by bee flies
b) Apples, pollinated primarily by hoverflies
c) Cacao, pollinated primarily by two-to-three-millimeter midges
d) Strawberries, pollinated primarily by crane flies
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: Clem said cacao is pollinated primarily by midges, which puts a chocolate industry worth roughly $120 billion on the backs of insects two to three millimeters long.
Source in transcript: Block 113 (~31:25–31:52).
Question 7
Timestamp Reference: 41:14 – 42:58
Difficulty: Application
You find a soft, legless, slug-like larva crawling among the aphids on a garden stem. Clem described exactly this. What is it likely to be, and what should you do?
a) A syrphine hoverfly larva eating the aphids, leave it there
b) An aphid at an early growth stage, treat the colony
c) A gall midge larva feeding on plant tissue, remove the stem
d) A rat-tailed maggot that fell from a tree hole, move it to water
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: Clem described syrphine hoverfly larvae as resembling little tiny slugs that crawl around, grab aphids, slice into them, and suck the juices out, several hundred aphids across a single larva’s lifetime.
Source in transcript: Blocks 151–155 (~41:14–42:58).
Question 8
Timestamp Reference: 42:58 – 46:05
Difficulty: Analysis
A homeowner clears every dead limb, stump, and water-holding tree cavity off their property. Based on Clem’s account of the Eristalinae, what does that cost them?
a) Nothing; eristaline larvae develop in flower buds, not wood
b) They lose the aphid control that eristaline larvae provide
c) They remove the habitat where the larvae of about 65% of hoverfly species commonly develop
d) They lose the overwintering sites for migratory monarch butterflies
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: Clem put about 65% of hoverfly species in the subfamily Eristalinae, whose larvae feed on dead and decaying material and oftentimes live in dead wood or water-filled tree holes. Strip that out, he said, and there is nowhere for those larvae to live. Aphid feeding belongs to the other subfamily, the Syrphinae.
Source in transcript: Blocks 156–168 (~42:58–46:05).
Question 9
Timestamp Reference: 1:18:47 – 1:19:29
Difficulty: Recall
An audience member asked how wasps carry pollen. What did LaTora answer?
a) In a scopa on the hind leg, the same structure bees use
b) It sticks to the body, legs, and mouthparts and moves incidentally, but without much hair they are not efficient at it
c) They swallow it and regurgitate it at the next flower
d) They do not carry pollen at all, which is why they are not counted as pollinators
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: LaTora said wasps will not be amazing pollinators because they do not have the hairs, but that pollen gets stuck on the body, legs, and mouthparts and they move it incidentally. She added that census counters will see a ton of wasps on flowers across a huge size range, from tiny species up to paper wasps.
Source in transcript: Blocks 275–278 (~1:18:47–1:19:29).
Question 10
Timestamp Reference: 50:55 – 52:04
Difficulty: Application
You have one open bed and you want it working for pollinating flies. Which planting matches what Clem actually recommended?
a) Mountain mint, Virginia pepperweed, smartweeds, asters, and blue mistflower
b) Pawpaw, corpse flower, and Jack-in-the-pulpit
c) Cacao, kiwi, and canola
d) Pitcher plant, parachute plant, and fruit fly orchid
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: Those five are the fly-friendly natives Clem listed. Mountain mint was his first pick; he checks his mother’s large mountain mint every time he goes home. He noted Virginia pepperweed and smartweeds have tiny, unshowy flowers but draw flies heavily. The other three options are all plant groups Clem discussed elsewhere in the talk (specialized fly-pollinated plants and fly-pollinated crops) but none were on his backyard planting list.
Source in transcript: Blocks 182–185 (~50:55–52:04).
Question 11
Timestamp Reference: 56:16 – 57:01
Difficulty: Recall
Gabrielle LaTora called the wasp “waist” by its scientific name and corrected what it actually is. Which statement matches her description?
a) The petiole, a constriction between the thorax and the abdomen
b) The petiole, a constriction between the first and second abdominal segments
c) The pedicel, the joint between the head and thorax
d) The calypter, a narrowing at the base of the wing
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: LaTora said it is not really a waist at all, because the constriction sits inside the abdomen, between the first and second abdominal segments. The scientific term for it is the petiole.
Source in transcript: Blocks 198–199 (~56:16–57:01).
Question 12
Timestamp Reference: 58:56 – 1:00:01
Difficulty: Recall
A yellowjacket stings someone at a picnic. What does LaTora’s point about the ovipositor tell you about that insect?
a) It is a male, because only males defend the nest
b) It is a female, because the stinger is the egg-laying organ and only females have one
c) It could be either sex, since both carry a stinger
d) It is a queen, because only queens can sting
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: LaTora defined the ovipositor as the egg-laying organ only female insects have, and said that in wasps it does dual action as a stinger. So anything that stings you is female. The same holds for bees.
Source in transcript: Blocks 205–207 (~58:56–1:00:01).
Question 13
Timestamp Reference: 1:02:45 – 1:03:52
Difficulty: Application
You are counting on a patch of mountain mint during the census and wasps keep landing near your hands. Based on LaTora’s account, how worried should you be?
a) Very, most wasps on flowers are social wasps that will defend a nest
b) Not very; most wasps on flowers are solitary, do not defend a nest, and sting mainly when squeezed
c) Very, solitary wasps sting more readily than social wasps do
d) Not at all, wasps that visit flowers have no stinger
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: LaTora said the vast majority of wasps are solitary and that these are the ones you will mostly see on flowers in a landscape or during the census. They do not defend a nest the way social wasps do; her examples of when they will sting were getting squeezed into an armpit or under an arm on a chair.
Source in transcript: Blocks 221–223 (~1:02:45–1:03:52).
Question 14
Timestamp Reference: 1:09:19 – 1:10:54
Difficulty: Application
You find a tomato hornworm on your plants covered in a cluster of small cocoon-like objects. What did LaTora tell gardeners to do?
a) Remove and destroy the caterpillar; those are hornworm eggs about to hatch
b) Spray the plant, since the objects are a disease that will spread to your tomatoes
c) Leave it alone; those are Cotesia congregata pupae, and 30 or 40 parasitoid wasps will emerge to hunt more hornworms
d) Move the caterpillar to another tomato plant so the objects fall off
Correct Answer: c
Explanation: LaTora was explicit that these are not eggs; they are the cocoons and pupae of Cotesia congregata, whose larvae fed inside the caterpillar and tunneled out. She said the caterpillar does not have much time left, and you get 30 or 40 new wasps that are not dangerous and are out looking for more hornworms.
Source in transcript: Blocks 243–246 (~1:09:19–1:10:54).
Question 15
Timestamp Reference: 1:12:29 – 1:14:56
Difficulty: Application
You get a clear photo of an insect’s head and nothing else. Which description points to a fly rather than a wasp, using LaTora’s side-by-side?
a) A head elongated horizontally like a hammerhead shark, with small eyes toward the ends
b) A semicircular dome-shaped head with huge “pancake eyes” and two short stubby antennae rising between them
c) A round head with long, straight, thread-like antennae
d) A narrow head with a constriction behind it
Correct Answer: b
Explanation: LaTora said the head is how she tells a fly, and she described it as a semicircular dome with pancake eyes covering most of it and two short stubby antennae arising from the middle, between the eyes, often with a little club and one bristle. The hammerhead-shaped head with small eyes at the ends is her wasp description.
Source in transcript: Blocks 255–261 (~1:12:29–1:14:56).
Answer Key
| Q | Answer | Difficulty | Presenter | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | c | Recall | Schmidt | 90% of animal species are insects |
| 2 | b | Analysis | Schmidt | Life-stage diversity in Geocoris punctipes |
| 3 | b | Recall | Clem | Count the wings |
| 4 | b | Application | Clem | When flies are active |
| 5 | b | Analysis | Clem | Nematoceran abundance vs. per-visit efficiency |
| 6 | c | Recall | Clem | Midges and cacao |
| 7 | a | Application | Clem | Syrphine larvae and aphids |
| 8 | c | Analysis | Clem | Eristaline larval habitat in dead wood |
| 9 | b | Recall | LaTora | How wasps carry pollen (closing Q&A) |
| 10 | a | Application | Clem | Fly-friendly native plants |
| 11 | b | Recall | LaTora | The petiole |
| 12 | b | Recall | LaTora | Ovipositor doubles as stinger |
| 13 | b | Application | LaTora | Solitary wasps at the census |
| 14 | c | Application | LaTora | Cotesia congregata on hornworms |
| 15 | b | Application | LaTora | Fly head vs. wasp head |
Verification
- All 15 questions and all 60 answer options trace to specific subtitle blocks in the corrected SRT. Block ranges appear under each question.
- Distractors were built from content elsewhere in this session (Syrphinae vs. Eristalinae, wasp head vs. fly head, bee scopa vs. fly, the specialized fly-pollinated plants in Q10) or from plainly contradicted values. No distractor introduces outside information.
- Question 9 draws from the closing Q&A. Two other exchanges in that segment were deliberately excluded from assessment: LaTora’s answer on whether non-queen social wasp females are sterile (“I don’t know the answer to that… my guess would be yes,” blocks 262–263) and the exchange on why wasps hook their wings together, which Griffin closed with “we’ll make sure that that answer is correct at some point here” (blocks 272–274). Neither is settled enough to grade against.
- No question requires knowledge from outside the presentation.
Moodle activities produced for UGA Center for Urban Agriculture / Great Southeast Pollinator Course · gsepc.org
Source: Corrected SRT (Stage 1), GTBOP_Transcript_2026-07-21_FliesAndWasps.srt (282 blocks); Archive Package (Stage 2)