By Dorjac
Essex,
United Kingdom 
I have just seen a little brown round furry insect that hovers in front of the aubretia and puts a tube down into the flower. Got the camera primed and he buzzed off over the fence. Any one know what this hoverer is called?
20 Apr, 2010
Answers
Oh dear! Poor thing! Gardening is great therapy for the blues, though. Pick an easy job and potter in the sunshine, or just sit and have a cup of tea. Hope you feel better soon, Great.
20 Apr, 2010
Sounds like a miner bee to me Dorjac. If so it is a goody to have in your garden - doesn't even sting!
20 Apr, 2010
I think I have found a photo on Flickr. It is A Hovering Bee Fly....posh name is Bombylius Major. It is a parasite of the larvae of solitary bees......not a lot of people want to know that! Wish I had a photo of it feeding though. I think it doesn't like being snapped, in case it gives too much away about itself.
20 Apr, 2010
Wow so not a friendly then as we need the bees.
20 Apr, 2010
Could be a bee-fly? They have a long proboscis similar to but smaller than the hummingbird-hawkmoth which they use in the same way - to suck the nectar from flowers. Perfectly harmless and delightful!
21 Apr, 2010
I keep looking to see if it is still around. Yes Nariz it looked quite a cuddly little round thing. Far too busy to bother me. Now I think of it, it may feed on pollinators, but is a pollinator itself, as it is furry, to pick up pollen probably, so it makes up for its earlier life. I will keep looking to see if I can get a photo. As with other creatures, these visits can be just so fleeting. I hope it is a result from building up 2 miniature wood/stick piles under shrubs.
21 Apr, 2010
We have had 2 refs to these recently on Goy. Hywel in a blog on 'Wild Spring Flowers' on 19th April 2010 showed one, ID'd by a member. On 8th April Toto also showed a photo no.6881.
11 May, 2010
Previous question
« What are the fastest growing, best plants or trees for screening?
Next question
No, but I no that feeling. Everytime I picked up my camera today whatever I was looking at flew off!!!! Feeling miserable tell the truth, thought I saw a sparrow hawk and it turned out to be a mistle thrush. Glad to see it all the same. My gardens a total mess my arm is hurting and ive got pins and needles in my fingers so not doing any more gardening. it so sunny and Im not fit enough to get on with it!!. Everytime I try to write on here everything gets highlighted blue and it starts typing all over the place groan. Sorry went on a bit there, sorry Not having a good day
20 Apr, 2010