Incoming........

.......Bee fly Bombylius major.
It was a glorious day today when I pulled back the curtains, and beautifully warm too.
Once up, and having eaten my yummy bacon sandwich (Prepared for me by Mr U&L) I decided to have a mooch round our garden before doing anything else.
There were loads of bee flies busy sipping nectar from our grape hyacinths with their long proboscis. I followed a few around, and managed to get quite a few in flight shots, of which this was probably the best. I love the way the legs are held in flight, especially the ones trailing behind!
This Large bee fly is the commonest of several species of bee fly found in the UK. Adults are 14 - 18 mm in length and squat and very hairy. They are bee mimics and the larvae are hypermetamorphic parasitoids of solitary bees and wasps. the female Bee fly flicks her eggs into the bee / wasps nest, where it hatches and feeds on the stored food as well as the developing larva.
I love having bee flies in my garden...long may it continue!
I now have 2 female emperor moths hatched out, so tomorrow I might just blip one for you!