name that insect!

[DL]

That does sound like a Burnet or Cinnabar in flight. Both species have fully pink/red hind wings which are very obvious while flying but hidden behind the forewings when the moth lands.

[matt_xyz]

I also think it is probably a Burnet moth. They look very different in flight and do look like slow flying flies or bees. I've seen a few of these in flight recently and it took me a while to work our what they were at first.

Matt

[glsammy]

Your right Matt. The Burnet looks nothing like a moth in flight in fact the red and black bee is exactly how it looks!

[Alliepan]

Ok, I am going to bow to your better judgement, Moth it is! I will try and chase it with a camera to hand next time I see it. Thank you for your help.

[Alberta]

I have a dead one. I found it in my garden and was intrigued by its colouring. It does look like the photos of a Burnet moth but does not look at all like a moth. More like a fly. The body is thin and black and it has red underwings and gauzy top wings that reveal blobs of the red underwings.

[liatris]

I saw an insect like this yesterday. I thought it was a wasp till i saw the red wings, I had a good look at it because it was on the grass for a while then flew about for 10 minutes....it looked like a bluebottle except its wings were bright red with a little bit of grey in a snakeskin pattern, it isn't much bigger than a bluebottle.