It's a lot less bother with a hover.

[Outlander]

OK I know this hover fly thing is not a danger to my bees but why does he come every late afternoon and hang around my hives. i must admit he's a great looking creature.

 

[VEG]

to look at all the pretty girls

 

[Lois]

That is a beautiful insect

 

[Outlander]

He was nearly a squished insect last week Lois but I missed him. I have now since found out he's not after my bees. If he can get into the hive and steal some honey and leave again without the bees getting him then he's more than welcome.

 

[Gardenbees]

Definitely don't squish these: it looks like Volucella zonaria ("hornet hoverfly") or a relative. In which case it's probably attracted by wasps' nests, where its larvae live off debris (and possibly also the odd wasp larva). I get them at the end of my garden, which is where the bees and, doubtless, a lot of wasp nests, are. They're quite harmless, and impressive to watch as they jump-jet around from flower to flower.

There's a great ID page on these insects here: http://www.opalwestmidlands.org/volucella_hovers/Volucella.html

 

[meidel]

I've seen a lot more of these than wasps this year, so could that mean there have been more dead wasp larvae for these to live off??

 

[Chris Luck]

We have a lot of these this year - La faux frelon, (the false hornet).

Chris

 

[Lindylou]

I have seen so many of these in the garden. I wondered what they were - now I know

 

[itma]

This afternoon a chap was asking me about this "odd wasp" that had been nipping in and out of his hive.
He even had a photo of it.
Yes, another sighting!


/ but going into the hive?

 

[Tom Bick]

My phone is not up to the quality of photograph on this forum but this visited one of my hives the other week.

 

[Outlander]

That's an ok pic Tom nothing wrong with that.

 

[Salamagundy]

La faux frelon, (the false hornet).

Chris

frelon - nm?

 

[Chris Luck]

Strictly La Milésie faux frelon, but yes; Frelon nm.

Chris

 

[itma]

These chaps (or more likely chapesses) are still around, down here anyway.

Today saw one sitting on the hive, then move down onto the alighting board - directly in front of the reduced entrance, facing in ...
Moved off and disappeared when a few returning foragers seemed to make a point of deliberately landing directly on top of the would-be interloper.

Pretty impressive - on both sides.

 

[Outlander]

These chaps (or more likely chapesses) are still around, down here anyway.

Today saw one sitting on the hive, then move down onto the alighting board - directly in front of the reduced entrance, facing in ...
Moved off and disappeared when a few returning foragers seemed to make a point of deliberately landing directly on top of the would-be interloper.

Pretty impressive - on both sides.

I was wondering myself today where they had gone. I have not seen them for a couple of weeks. I also saw one some time back at Village Girl's sitting on her hives. Never had seen one before having bees though. Impressive insect though. Never saw dragon flies around here until I had bees.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Never saw dragon flies around here until I had bees.

Dragonflies like bees.