Unidentified Flying bee-like insect

[geoff1973]

hello.

I wonder if any members can help me please. I am trying to indentify a bumble-bee like flying insect. It appears brown in colour and seem much bigger than a common bumble bee, it always appears only at dusk for an hour or so and it seems to "nest" in a conifer tree in my garden.

there are a few of them always out at the same time, and then all of sudden the dissapear back into this tree!

They also only seem to appear in the spring-summer, i havent seen them in the fall or winter at all.

been racking my brains for a long time, google searches dont seem to bring up anything that remotely looks like this bug. they dont seem to attack us like wasps do, they are more interested in just flying near the tree!

very weird....hoping you can help!

thankyou!

geoff

[GuyF]

Hi Geoff, welcome to the site!

My best suggestion would be the Summer Chafer (Amphimallon solstitialis), a species of beetle. I think that the behaviour you're seeing is to do with breeding with the insects congregating around a tall object, in this case the conifer tree, as a way of finding a mate. In the past I've seen large groups of these buzzing around tall gorse bushes on summer evenings, but sadly I haven't come across any for a few years now.

Guy

[geoff1973]

Ok thanks for your reply Guy.

We have just googled it; and we are both sitting here thinking it could be but in all honesty it seemed bigger and hairy-er like i said before more like a bumble bee than a beetle.

i guess we need to catch one to make sure, problem is they only come out at dusk so we only get to see them in the fading light and they look quite scary and not something i'd like to get that close too!

also, just like to add they dont just fly around the tree, thats where they are nesting it would seem.

if we catch one we'll post a picture and hopefully this will either confirm your identification or not.

watch this space, and thanks again!

geoff.