BEE-FLY

As we sat down for our picnic, I saw one of these little blighters. I'm sure you'll recognise them, as they're not rare.

This is the very intimidating-looking Bee-Fly. A Fly that looks like Bee, with a HUGE long sturdy proboscis sticking out of its face - looks a bit like a syringe that could do a human arm some damage! They are far more agile than the Bees they look like, hovering with a distinct whining sound, trailing their long spindly legs beneath them.

The Bee-Fly may look nasty, but is in fact absolutely harmless. It is classed as one of the "Robber Flies" as its larvae feed on the underground larvae of Mining Bees. The adult hovers low to the ground, landing on many low-growing flowers such as Forget-Me-Nots or Grape Hyacinths to feed on nectar.

You can see from the photo above that the Bee-Fly actually has quite a small body, which looks bigger thanks to its dense covering of gingery-brown "fur" (hair), which does make it look a bit like a Bee!