FEMALE DRONE FLY

Good ol' Eagle-eyed Anna pointed this furry lady out to me last night.

A female Drone Fly - the ultimate honeybee mimic.

Droneflies do look uncannily like Honeybees - apart from the fact that they have huge eyes, so typical of flies, and so atypical of bees.

This one on the door frame is an Eristalis sp. (The genus Eristalis is fifteen strong, with many looky-likeys, though generally you can very often call it one of two species - E.tenax (more common, with a dark part of the leg just above the foot) and E.pertinax (yellow "feet").

Looking at the photo (Click to enlarge again), you'll be able to now tell (and I know it was knawing away at you, as to which Eristalsis sp. this indeed is) that this is Eristalsis tenax (with the dark feet).

"But how do you know its a female?", I hear you cry.

"Did you sex it?!"

Hold two tennis balls together in front of you - and make sure they're touching.

Thats what MALE Hoverlies (and Droneflies) eyes appear like.

Now move those tennis balls an inch or so apart.

Yep - now that looks more like FEMALE Hoverlies (or Droneflies) eyes.

So once again, looking at the photo, you can easily tell I have a female E.tenax here.