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Lancashire, United Kingdom Gb

Can you identify this insect? It looks very like a social wasp, and a bit like a hornet but I can't find an identical picture.



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Answers

 

Found it after a bit of a struggle: Hover fly Helophilus pendulus. Collins says it likes sunbathing on waterside vegetation.

30 Aug, 2016

 

These are good pollinators too.

30 Aug, 2016

 

The larvae of some species eat aphids, and other plant pests.

31 Aug, 2016

 

Thank you Stera, Loosestrife and Tug. I have lots of hoverflies and I know that they are definitely friends. I don't think I've ever seen one basking, though, and I didn't recognise it. The markings are very striking.

31 Aug, 2016

 

They are - it was easy to eliminate masses of little waspy look-alikes from those vertical stripes!

31 Aug, 2016

 

They will sit in the sun to get their temperature and metabolism up to " hovering " speed. As the days get cooler you will see this of every insect air and land.

31 Aug, 2016

 

I had no idea there were so many different types of hoverfly. The ones I have usually seen are smaller than the one in the photo.

I know that the male bumblebees that "roost" overnight outside the nest can't fly until their bodies reach a certain temperature. Fascinating, isn't it?

31 Aug, 2016

 

Yes it is fascinating and all of it is to be found within a few steps from one's home.

1 Sep, 2016

 

Yet another dimension to having a garden. How lucky we are.

2 Sep, 2016

How do I say thanks?

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