A buzz in the kitchen

It is only when I spotted her, perched as she was on the frame of the window, that I understood why one of the dogs was so unsettled. Stung by a wasp as a puppy, she now had an aversion to anything large that buzzed, especially inside the house, and this particular buzzy thing was one of Britain's biggest hoverflies.


Volucella zonaria is spectacular. Mimicking a hornet, and not far off in size, you can appreciate the alarm that this harmless insect might generate in those fooled by its vespine mimicry. She was fairly docile and easily potted for release outside, where I took a couple of reference shots as she sat on a hosta. In both pictures you can see the chestnut-coloured segments at the front of the abdomen which, together with the larger size, separate zonaria from the related inanis.

Volucella zonaria by Mike Toms

Volucella zonaria by Mike Toms