Just seen this on a peg on the washing line, never noticed this before. Any ideas anyone. Is if safe to go back in the garden?
Apart from the lighter body colour it looks pretty much like it. Glad it doesn’t sting or bite. I can go in the garden now instead of getting the wife to go out
definitely a sheffieoptea wedilopa - can become massive but thankfully now an endangered species. Best thing to do is stamp on it firmly!
There are two types of bee fly, the ones we get are lighter in colour. Flies like a drunken hover fly and you'll likely see them near grape hyacinths, their long proboscis is designed to get to the centre of the flowers. One of my favourite creatures, they are only around a short time so enjoy it while its around.
Could be a Sheffioptea Wendilopa or Sheffioptea Bluntensis. Both make a dull droning noise which can help identify them, with the Wendilopa making a whining noise when descending which sounds like “but we’re massive”. The Wendilopa is known for having an absolute wreck of a nest. Can be relatively active over winter but usually dead and buried come April or May, even earlier this year in the case of the Bluntensis.
Sadly many starve to death because there's no money available to look after them - but one good thing about them is they're easy to stuff.
