Hornet hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) on hive

[thedozzer]

Been spending a lot of time watching the our new wards, and have been watching for wasps & robbing, but while watching to see how or counter measures were going this little chap turned up, Hornet hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) and it spent quite a bit of time sussing out the hive and its entrance.

The bees did boop it on the head a few times and it wasn't until it get almost to the entrance and probably realised that i would not fit in the entrance it flew off.

Having had a read up about them they sometimes place their larvae in wasp nests, do you think that they would do the same in a bee hive? as apparently they just live of the was in the wasp nest and the wasps don't mind!

and this is not the first time i have seen it round the hive.

 

[enrico]

No idea, but it is no threat.
E

 

[thedozzer]

No idea, but it is no threat.
E

Im not so sure, been having a look into the life cycle of Volucella zonaria and some believe it parasitize the wasps nest = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YctqOyoY9Vw and have seen a video of one behaving exactly the same out side a wasps nest as it was out side the hive = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flne5XVc1gU

im just wondering if the little bugger would like to do the same to a bee hive.