The Narwhal Of The Insect World

The temperature in Essex hit seventeen degrees yesterday afternoon. I know this as I saw my first beefly of the season. They don't take to the wing until the mercury has risen that high. The beefly was Bug Of The Month for March at Buglife but failed to appear in that month.

Beeflies are furry just like bees but actually predate them. Their bee mimicry helps them to hover close to the burrows of solitary bees and flick their eggs inside. The larvae eat the bees' food supplies and the bee grubs.

The beefly uses its long proboscis to feed on nectar. It's ideally suited for probing into primroses. I have photographed one on my wild clump today. I've also photographed one grooming its proboscis very carefully. People worry that the proboscis is a sting but it's completely harmless.