Antennae

Heterotoma planicornis

When it comes to antennae, few insects match the proportions of Heterotoma planicornis, a little insect with appendages that are nearly as long as its body. The combination of a dark body, distinctively long, flattened antennae and lime green legs make it easy to identify. Like many other mirid bug species, this one is primarily a plant eater, feeding on the buds, fruits, nectar and juices of a variety of trees, shrubs and smaller plants, with a particular predilection for nettles. However, it also eats aphids, spiders, mites, and psyllids, and may be important in the control of aphids in orchards. There is one generation per year, with eggs laid in the autumn hatching the following spring. Nymphs develop through the following months, and adults are typically found between July and October. Abundant throughout most of Britain, these little insects are also widespread across much of Europe and have been accidentally introduced to North America and New Zealand.

Black and white

Great Pied Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens)

One of the less common hoverflies we've seen in the garden is also one of Britain's largest. The Great Pied Hoverfly or Pellucid Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) has made only a handful of appearances over the years, including one this week. It's one of island's largest flies, measuring 10-15.5 mm (i.e. around a half inch) in length. It's round with a bold white girdle around an otherwise shiny black body and eye-catching dark marks on its wings. Found from May to October, they're especially common in June and July. This female will have been looking for a place to lay her eggs. She'll search out ground-dwelling bumblebees or social wasps to deposit her eggs in their colonies. When the eggs hatch, the hoverfly larvae drop to the bottom of the colony, there to nibble on various waste products (dead bees/wasps, dropped foodstuffs, other insects, etc.) and the occasional bee or wasp larvae. When fully grown, the larvae migrate outside of the colony to pupate in the soil. Adults feed on nectar and pollen, preferentially visiting bramble (genus Rebus) and other white flowers. Widespread across the whole of the British Isles, they're primarily found in woodland and along woody hedgerow, though they also regularly visit gardens. Outside of the UK, they're found across Europe and the Palearctic, as far as Japan.