2021
TQ7818 : A hornet hoverfly on mint flowers, Churchland Lane
taken 3 years ago, near to Sedlescombe, East Sussex, England
A hornet hoverfly on mint flowers, Churchland Lane
This large hoverfly, Volucella zonaria, has larvae which scavange in wasps, hornets and bees nests. It first appeared in Britain in the 1940s and continues to spread northwards so that it is now not uncommon in many areas.
The lesser hornet hoverfly (V. inanis) often occurs at the same time and place as V. zonaria, but it is slightly smaller and does not have the black sternite 2 on the underside of the body. V. inanis has three yellow bands on the upper side whereas V. zonaria has two yellow bands and a dark brown one.
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