When is a bee not a bee?

When it is a bee-fly mimic. As the sun emerged this afternoon, so did one or two confused looking sleepy bees, including (at first sight) this tiny bee.The lack of a second pair of wings is a big giveaway but apparently solitary bees and wasps don't notice this detail so allow the dark-edged bee-fly to approach their nesting area where it deposits its eggs. After hatching, the larvae find their way into the nests to parasitically feed on the grubs. Nature is not always pretty.