Fly in wasps clothing

[Earthbabe]

Has anyone else seen these flies that look like wasps. I've seen a few now this year and I was wondering where they have come from.

Are they some GM mutant or just a new evolution of the species?

Or is it actually a tiny robot sent by the council to see exactly what I put in my bin/green waste/recycling/how much water I use etc?

Hang on this is southampton they're never that advanced and efficient.

[Flummery]

They aren't hoverflies are they EB? They are much slower moving and dopier but have narrow waists and waspy colouring.

[Two_Sheds]

Hoverflies.

There are about 250 different varieties

[Earthbabe]

They aren't hoverflies are they EB? They are much slower moving and dopier but have narrow waists and waspy colouring.

Definitely not Flum, these are the size of a blue bottle. Our hoverflies are delicate looking things. More like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoverfly

The last one I saw was sat on my tom pot where I'd recently emptied a tea pot (hence decomposing tea leaves) and doing that funny looking walk that flies do. You know that sort of diagonal sidle.

[Two_Sheds]

Earthbabe, see if you can spot it on this site: Hoverflies

[Earthbabe]

Thanks Two Sheds it looks most like Myathropa florea.

Never seen it before this summer as all our hoverflies previously have been the dainty ones or have looked very wasp like. Seeing one that looked like a mutant housefly/bluebottle was a bit surreal even for me and I definitely have fairies at the bottom of the garden (although as the garden slopes "uphill" maybe that should be top).