Villa hottentotta

Appearance

Bee-flies are often recognizable by their stocky shapes, by their hovering behavior, and for the particular length of their mouthparts and/or legs as they lean forward into flowers.
They range in size from 5 to 17 mm (0.20 to 0.67 in), and have typically rounded heads.

Naming

Linnaeus, 1758

Distribution

Europe

Behavior

Many bee-fly species spend regular time intervals at rest on or near the ground, while hoverflies hardly ever do so.

Food

Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, but the larvae of the bee-flies are predators (or parasitoids) of the eggs and larvae of other insects.

Defense

Bee-flies superficially resemble bees and this may offer the adults some protection from predators.