A bee, or not a bee. That is the question!

A dark and gloomy day today meant not a lot of invertebrate life about. I did however see this chap in a brief moment of sunshine late this afternoon. This is a bumble bee mimic. It is actually a hoverfly and is one of the most variable hoverfly species. Volucella bombylans can look like a variety of different bumble bees. It is completely harmless. Its larvae are scavengers feeding in the nests of wasps and bumble bees.