Can anyone identify these larvae?

I am finding a lot of the first kind of larvae, white, gelatinous with a central darker bit. I think they are hoverfly larvae, but I would be very interested if anyone knows more detail about which kind of hoverfly. I found one curled up on a rosebud, on a miniature rose tree that seems remarkably clear of greenfly compared with its neighbours, and I found some in a pot containing a lot of purple aubrieta, which are covered in greenfly as is the miniature rose in the same pot.

The miniature rose with the hoverfly larva curled up in its flower bud, "Peter Pan" lies between some abundantly flowering purple aubrieta covered in greenfly and some abundantly flowering Mexican daisies, Erigeron karvinskianus, that don't seem to get greenfly. The miniature rose isn't flowering yet but it is covered in buds.

The second larva I just found on another rose bush that is covered with greenfly. I am not sure what it is? Doesn't look like hoverfly.

 

Looks like ladybird larvae, or lacewing

 

I tried to crop and magnify it, but it came out blurry.

 

Sorry not sure what it is but the ladybird larvae which I have seen is usually darker grey and has colouring of orange in the way of small dots .

 

lacewing

 

they all come in diffrent shades some are much lighter or darker

 

I think ladybird rather than lacewing, but frankly that image is far too poor for a definite ID!

https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/sites/www.coleoptera.org.uk/files/ladybird_larvae.pdf

I suspect that what you're thinking of is Harlequin Ladybird larvae @Purple Streaks, I keep seeing more and more of those in my own garden!

Nick

 

Pretty sure they're hoverfly larvae, one of the species with terrestrial rather than aquatic maggots. So many species, I couldn't even begin to guess which one.
The adults are pollinators, but the larval stage is predatory with much the same diet as ladybird and lacewing larvae.

 

Going on what I've seen, these are the ladybird larvae I see in my garden
I haven't seen any lacewing but that seems to be the most common variety and hoverfly which I haven't seen seems to more be more maggoty.

 

Yes Nick , that's the one it's Harlequin ladybird larvae.
Is this one ok to keep or is it one of the invaders ?

 

I think it's probably one of those.

Found a photo of a similar-looking hoverfly species but there's no mention of its name...

Hoverfly larva resting on garden plant. Sussex, UK Stock Photo - Alamy

@Purple Streaks Yes, it's an invader from Asia. I suppose you could squish them if you really didn't want them, but I haven't got the heart to and I don't think it would have enough of an impact anyway. Pretty certain anything you could spray would harm other ladybird species too, unfortunately!

Nick

 

More photographs of what look like the same creature as the second one.

The one on the two bottom photographs was much smaller and very active, whereas previous ones including the top photograph were bigger and not moving.

The first photograph was taken yesterday and the bottom two photographs were taken today.

 

I keep finding more. Three of them today on my white trellis netting. For some reason they seem to prefer the trellis netting to the wall itself.

 

I'd go ladybird larvae but the photo isn't the best, take a look here and see if you can find it.

Ladybird larvae guide – Field Studies Council

 

Certainly something I'd not be worrying about.