Bee ID - garden in Bristol

olias · #1 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 02:39 PM

I have been looking at BWARS and I think Andrena bicolor looks most likely for this one but I'm really not sure. Was wondering if anyone had any other ideas?

oxycera · #2 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 02:44 PM

It's a Drone Fly, Eristalis sp.

olias · #3 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 02:47 PM

Aha! Thank you for that!

No wonder it didn't look like any bee I was looking up

squishy · #4 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 05:18 PM

an expert should be able to tell you which species, it is either E. tenax or E. pertenax because i can make out brown stripes on the eye.

(but i have forgotten which one has the stripes and which one doesn't

)

JRsbugs · #5 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 07:35 PM

I would opt for Eristalis pertinax, the hind tibia can be seen to have a pale section where E. tenax has all brown hind legs, sometimes they look to have a paler joint only. E. pertinax also has orange tarsi, where E. tenax has black, and the tail end on E. pertinax is usually much more pointed, more so in the males although the angle isn't the best to see that. The face of E. pertinax has a darker stripe down the centre.

This is a male, a very hairy one which might make you lean towards E. tenax but I had a very hairy female pertinax last spring, I could only tell which it was from one view of the hind tibia. I can only guess they might get that way from overwintering.

Janet.