Wasp mimic

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

One of the more distinctive hoverflies to visit our garden is the eye-catching Chrysotoxum bicinctum. It's a wasp mimic – and quite a good one at that. The combination of the two yellow bands across its black body, its long antennae, and the chocolate-brown spots on its wings is diagnostic; no other UK hoverfly shares those features. We often find these hoverflies on the Field Bindweed flowers along one edge of the garden. They prefer sheltered grassy areas, especially those near shrubs or trees. Adults fly from May to September, peaking from mid-June to August. Surprisingly (considering that they're widespread across lowland England, and occur throughout Wales and as far north as the north coast of Scotland), little else is known about their biology. The larvae are thought to be associated with ant nests, where they may feed on root aphids being "farmed" by the ants. There's so much still to be learned about many of the world's smaller creatures!