Identification please

[Sarahlou1973]

Hi, I saw this in my garden in north London today (02/04/11) and I'm curious as to what it is, as I've never seen one before. At first I thought it was a bee, but when it settled, the protruding 'horn' threw made me think it might be something that might not be very friendly...

I've looked at the pictures in the insect identification section, but can't seem to see it there.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions :-)

[david156]

Its a Bee-fly. I only learnt about these on here a week ago, and now I'm seeing them everywhere.

[JRsbugs]

Bombylius major, a Beefly female! They parasitise solitary bees nests. The long thing at the front is it's proboscis from which it feeds.

Janet

[Jason Green]

Evening Sarah,

It's a Bee-fly, known as Bombylius major. A pararsite of some mining-bees.

Take care,

Jason

[loripo]

Great photo - I can never see them still enough to get a shot like this, so settled for video Then you get the buzz too! There seem to be lots of them around at the moment.

[Sarahlou1973]

Thanks everyone for the responses and comment about the photo. It took a couple of attempts to get it, but luckily it stayed still just long enough to snap it.

I'm not sure how I ended up with two pictures in the forst post, though...

[JaySteel]

I took this shot of one in my garden a few years ago. I tried a few times yesterday whilst out recording Adders to capture a shot of a Beefly in flight but couldn't get close enough for a decent shot unfortunately. There were plenty flying around though.

Best regards,
Jason