Drone has a number of meanings. Today, we most often associate the word with a pilotless, radio-controlled airplane such as used in surveillance or launching missiles for military purposes.

A drone can also be a low, monotonous sound. If people speak in such a way for a long time, they could be said to drone on and on. The humming sound produced by the wing beat of some insects, especially bees, is also described as a drone.

The word drone historically was used for a person who lived on the labors of others. Today, we might use moocher, beggar or scrounger to convey the same meaning. That’s probably the reason drone is used as a name for male honey bees.

Honey bee drones do not gather nectar, don’t turn the nectar into honey, don’t tidy the nest and don’t raise the young. Drones do not have stingers so they cannot defend themselves or the colony. Honey bee drones are true to their name; they do live on the labors of others, in this case honey bee workers.

Some flies also are called drone flies based on the fact that they resemble bees. Classified in the family Syrphidae, the insects are sometimes called syrphid flies, hover flies or flower flies. So what is the basis for these common names?

Syrphid reflects the family name that was probably based on the Greek word for gnat or small flying insect. The name flower fly comes from being seen on flowers, and hover fly is because of hovering on the wing in one place before darting off.

These flies are often evident in shady areas during the sunny and hot days of August and September. Drone flies seem to prefer shade to direct sunlight and sometimes accumulate in high numbers as they hover and dart about.

Exactly why the flies behave in this way is unclear. However these flies will take the opportunity to interrupt their hovering and darting to land on a person sitting quietly in the shade. When drone flies do this, they will often use their mouthparts to sop up sweat from a person’s bare arm or shirt. It is this behavior that prompts some people to incorrectly refer to the insects as “sweat bees.”

It is true that many drone flies have markings and coloring similar to bees. A few species are about the same size as honey bees. However, drone flies cannot bite or sting, so the general alarm expressed by some people when encountering these insects is not justified.

There are a lot of species of drone flies and a lot a variation in size and color patterns of the adults. Drone flies are also found in a variety of habitats. There is also a lot of variation in the food habits of drone fly maggots.

Some live in decaying vegetation and others in rotting wood. A few live in the nests of social insects such as ants and termites. Still others live in polluted water. One example of this is called the rat-tailed maggot. That is because it has a long tube at the end of its body that resembles the tail of rat. The maggot uses the tube to breathe fresh air into its body.

Still other drone fly maggots are insect predators. Many feed on aphids. Because aphids are major plant pests, anything that feeds on them is considered a benefit to gardeners and farmers.

So drone flies get an unfortunate rap. Because they resemble bees, many people think they can sting and are frightened by them. However, insects that help recycle dead and decaying material and destroy plant pests should be considered our friends. Even though they sometimes have the audacity to land on us and try to sop up some perspiration.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Tom Turpin may write to him in care of this publication.