Disguised as a bee
Disguised as a bee

A hover fly mimicking a bee is an evolutionary advantage, as predators think they have a sting!

Hoverfly - Eristalis arbustorum

From Wikipedia…” Eristalis arbustorum is a European species of hoverfly. The size of the coloured patches on the abdomen varies with larval rearing temperature, as does wing length. They are attracted to the flowers of cow parsley, common hogweed, creeping thistle, knapweed and common yarrow.”

From the Friends of the earth website…

“Differences between hoverflies and bees
Hoverfly characteristics:

1 pair of wings (Bees have 2 – difficult to spot when folded)
No narrow waist
Short antennae
Eyes that cover most of their head (sometimes meeting in the middle)
No biting mouthparts (mandibles)
Often hover in mid-air”