https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Bees%20pic.jpg

pic is clean of any nasties.

My little flock of sunflowers is just starting to blossom.
This evening I was amazed to see the few opening blooms attracting more than
a few bees, I think.
Quite small creatures, probably slightly more than 1cm in length at most.
I haven't noticed such around the place before although I grow sunflowers
most years. I like them, the grandchildren like them. Good stuff generally.
I am not blessed with green fingers.

Any idea what these insects might be please.

Many thanks,
Nick.

Looks like a Hoverfly to me.

In article ,
Chris Hogg wrote:
On Mon, 13 Jul 2015 21:14:10 +0100, "Nick"
wrote:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Bees%20pic.jpg

pic is clean of any nasties.

Pretty sure it's not a bee but a fly. Bees have four wings, flies only
two, although it's not always easy to see the extra wings on a bee.
But my money's on it being a fly. Haven't a clue what type of fly,
though.
$a

It looks like a hoverfly to me, though I am no expert.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 13/07/2015 22:49, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Chris Hogg wrote:
On Mon, 13 Jul 2015 21:14:10 +0100, "Nick"
wrote:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Bees%20pic.jpg

pic is clean of any nasties.

Pretty sure it's not a bee but a fly. Bees have four wings, flies only
two, although it's not always easy to see the extra wings on a bee.
But my money's on it being a fly. Haven't a clue what type of fly,
though.
$a

It looks like a hoverfly to me, though I am no expert.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I'd go with some form of hoverfly as well

On Mon, 13 Jul 2015 21:14:10 +0100,
Nick wrote:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Bees%20pic.jpg

The most common hoverfly that we have here and even more of them in
Germany. This one is often taken for a wasp by children, as it chooses
its colors to make believe it were dangerous in a way. Which it is not.

Here in France, there are bigger species, too, which resemble more to
ordinary flies, but hover just as well and use the same disguise.

Michael
--
Location: Lower Normandy (Orne), France
GnuPG/OpenPGP 4096R/3216CF02 2013-11-15 [expires: 2015-11-15]
sub 4096R/2751C550 2013-11-15 [expires: 2015-11-15]
[Next key will use elliptic-curve algorithm! :-) Get GnuPG!!]

On Mon, 13 Jul 2015 22:59:50 +0100, David Hill wrote:

On 13/07/2015 22:49, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Chris Hogg wrote:
On Mon, 13 Jul 2015 21:14:10 +0100, "Nick"
wrote:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Bees%20pic.jpg

pic is clean of any nasties.

Pretty sure it's not a bee but a fly. Bees have four wings, flies only
two, although it's not always easy to see the extra wings on a bee.
But my money's on it being a fly. Haven't a clue what type of fly,
though.
$a

It looks like a hoverfly to me, though I am no expert.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I'd go with some form of hoverfly as well

Yes, it's a hoverfly, one of the c.275 species recorded in Britain. They imitate wasps and
bees to deter predators. The larvae of some species feed on aphids, so are to be
encouraged in gardens!

"mike crowe" wrote


Nick;1015106 Wrote:
http://tinyurl.com/pgnxo54

pic is clean of any nasties.

My little flock of sunflowers is just starting to blossom.
This evening I was amazed to see the few opening blooms attracting more
than
a few bees, I think.
Quite small creatures, probably slightly more than 1cm in length at
most.
I haven't noticed such around the place before although I grow
sunflowers
most years. I like them, the grandchildren like them. Good stuff
generally.
I am not blessed with green fingers.

Any idea what these insects might be please.

Many thanks,
Nick.

Looks like a Hoverfly to me.


+1. A garden good guy.

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

My thanks to all for the responses.
Hoverflies it is, and I'm jolly pleased that they are welcome around the
place.

Thanks again,
Nick.

"Nick" wrote in message
...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Bees%20pic.jpg

pic is clean of any nasties.

My little flock of sunflowers is just starting to blossom.
This evening I was amazed to see the few opening blooms attracting more
than a few bees, I think.
Quite small creatures, probably slightly more than 1cm in length at most.
I haven't noticed such around the place before although I grow sunflowers
most years. I like them, the grandchildren like them. Good stuff
generally. I am not blessed with green fingers.

Any idea what these insects might be please.

Many thanks,
Nick.
As others have said its a hoverfly, which species I don't know but most of
them seem very attracted to the colour yellow.


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

"Nick" wrote in message
...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Bees%20pic.jpg

pic is clean of any nasties.

My little flock of sunflowers is just starting to blossom.
This evening I was amazed to see the few opening blooms attracting more
than a few bees, I think.
Quite small creatures, probably slightly more than 1cm in length at most.
I haven't noticed such around the place before although I grow sunflowers
most years. I like them, the grandchildren like them. Good stuff
generally. I am not blessed with green fingers.

Any idea what these insects might be please.

Many thanks,
Nick.

It's a hoverfly as someone else already said.

"Nick" wrote in message
...
My thanks to all for the responses.
Hoverflies it is, and I'm jolly pleased that they are welcome around the
place.

Thanks again,
Nick.

When you see one hovvering, throw a little piece of gravel near it, it will
attack it as it thinks it's another insect invading it's space, good fun