Another bug id please

[selfraising]

I have seen two bugs in my garden in the last couple of days but have no idea what they are. At first I thought they were some type of bumble bee but not sure now. They seem to hover in mid air for a while and look furry like bumbles but smaller. They were a sort of honey colour all over and had a long pointy tip coming out of the head end which was almost the length of their body. Sadly did not get a photo

[Alice]

Bumble bees are big, fat , round, bumbling objects. Sometines enormous. I think what you describe sounds more like hover flies. Good friends. They eat the aphids.

[Jardiniere]

I was going to suggest a hover fly of some kind but a long pointy tip from the head end?Couldnt find anything like it in my trusty insect book.....but someone will find it

[selfraising]

Yes it odd, never see one before. Hover flys look like smaller honey bees don't they?

[Jardiniere]

the ones here remind me more of wasps

[selfraising]

Just found out the long pointy thing is the proboscis! Wonder if it is some kind of bee. Just wish I had had my camera to hand.

[selfraising]

I think I've found it! It's a bee fly! Anyone else seen any of these?

Latin name: Bombylius major

Size: 12 to 18mms long. Wingspan 25mms

Distribution: Found throughout the UK but more scarce in the north.

Months seen: April to June

Food: Nectar. Larvae feed on honey and the the larvae of bees

Habitat: Found in early spring around primroses and bugle along woodland rides

Special features: Looks more like a bee than a fly - hence the name. Like a bumble bee they are covered in hair. Bee-flies have a long proboscis for drinking nectar from deep flowers. When at rest (which is rare) you notice the wings have dark markings along the leading edges.

Bee-flies are expert flyers, and make a high pitched buzzing sound while they hover around flowers, with their long, stilt-like legs dangling below them.

There are more than a dozen species of bee-fly in Britain. The one shown is the most commonly seen.

[Eyren]

Yes, I get them in my garden - fascinating things, although I went off them when I discovered that they are parasitic on bees There was one flitting around at the weekend - I was rather hoping the chickens would snap it up, but they ignored it...

[Two_Sheds]

The Beefly:

[Two_Sheds]

they are parasitic on bees

The larvae of the Bee Fly live as parasites in the nests of solitary bees, where they eat the food stores and grubs of their host.

So, seeing Bee Flies about must mean there are solitary bees about too, which is a good thing (Mason Bee is a solitary bee)

[selfraising]

Thanks for piccie TS, that's definitely it! Didn't know they were parasites to solitary bees, thats not so good, especially as I have just put up a solitary bee house!

[Nicos]

I have just put up a solitary bee house!

meals on wheels for them then???

[Jardiniere]

well i looked up the bee fly in my insect book and it shows it much darker than the photo...also its on the same page as the horse flies...yuck.....and if it harms bees...not good but is otherwise harmless....book says it has a high pitched whine...i prefer a (high pitched) wine

[selfraising]

I shall be watching the bee house like a hawk! If they come near it, they're gonna get swiped!