black and white Hoverfly

[backuptie]

I'm new to insects generally but have never seen anything like this one.
Syrphus Torvus or Sphaerophoria.sp probably the closest in comparison but the stripes were black and white, (definitely not yellow, it was quite striking) with the white band being larger. I had maybe ten seconds to get the camera ready before the fly disappeared so the image is poor - I'll look out for it again to get a better quality pic.

[JRsbugs]

Hi backuptie, welcome to WAB.

You have Scaeva pyrastri, they are more plentiful this year as a migrant.

[Geoff F]

You have Scaeva pyrastri, they are more plentiful this year as a migrant.

It is strange how different parts of the country have different periods of high or low species count.

This year I am finding just the odd Scaeva pyrastri; last year I found them to be plentiful everywhere I went around where I live.

[JRsbugs]

Well I am only seeing the occasional one Geoff, which is more than I usually see. Most years I might see one once or twice. This year I see one usually every day.