Honey Bee And Hoverfly

The bugs are back, hooray! :) I've finally seen my first shieldbug of the season and other insects are starting to appear. This afternoon was sunny and warm so I patrolled up and down a hazel-rich stretch of hedge. The honey bees were loving the lambs' tail catkins and various hoverflies were basking on ivy and amongst the lichens.

I've decided to post both. The bee image is crowd-pleasingly springlike. I think the hoverfly is Eupeodes luniger. My macro shot clearly shows its sponging mouthparts. An articulate labium ends in a sponge-like labellum. The fly secretes saliva which it dabs onto its food and then sucks up the solution.