Volucella elegans

Description:

Looks like a bee or a wasp but it is a fly. In spite of its colours it has no sting and no poison. It is a fly disguised as a wasp! Volucella is a genus of large, broad-bodied, dramatic hover-flies. They have distinctive plumose aristas and the face is extended downward. They are strongly migratory and males are often territorial. Adults feed on nectar of flowers and are often seen sunning on leaves. The larvae of most species live in nests of bumblebees and social wasps, where they are detritivores and larval predators. The black spot hat can be seen on the middle of the wings distinguish V. elegans from the very similar V. inanis