Whats this ?

[BKF Admin]

Just seen this in the garden on the window,any idea what it is ?

 

[Ando]

I'd say some sort of Horse Fly by the looks of it??

 

[BKF Admin]

That was my first thought,I think it is one of the fly family but is about 4 times bigger than the normal horsefly and has a very yellow back.

 

[victor meldrew]

Saw one sitting on a hive yesterday .
Quite big ,a couple of mins later it was sitting on a neighbouring hive .
I am still puzzled .

John Wikinson

 

[jean]

Looks remarkably like the thing that bit me the other day(itched like mad). Do you have a photo of a squashed one?
I think it's a *taon* which my dictionary translates as horsefly/gadfly.

 

[Queen B]

Looks like one of the blighters that regularly has a go at horses ... and humans, given half a chance. Plenty of them around here.

 

[Hivemaker.]

http://www.commanster.eu/commanster/Insects/Flies/SuFlies/Tabanus.bovinus.html

Type of giant horse fly,tabanus bovinus,common horse fly is tabanus bromius.

 

[JCBrum]

The problem with those things is that their habitats and feeding places are very unsterile, which if you are bitten/stung can lead very quickly to a huge secondary infection. Take medical advice quickly if necessary.

 

[Hivemaker.]

JC Brum,perhaps you need to take a wash more often,lol.

 

[JCBrum]

Well maybe, but they stick their probocis thingies in piles of poo, according to my GP, and then attack humans.

It was 20 yrs ago now but I had to have im antibiotics and HUGE steroid injections. v painful.

 

[victor meldrew]

The one I saw was the biggest horse fly I've ever seen.
I watched it for a while (mustn't have been a female on point of lay because it didn't show any interest in me or the horses in the adjacent fields) . Just sat there rubbing its fore legs together .

John Wilkinson

 

[JCBrum]

Huh, I'd have run away !

 

[DulwichGnome]

I had one of these in my garden yesterday! Not many horses round here.

Mike.

 

[anwe]

Could it be a hoverfly they come in a range of sizes and colours, their larvae eat greenfly

 

[gtb]

Looks like a double glazing salesfly to me, checking out your windows...

 

[ribblesbees]

Or maybe a robberfly casing the joint.