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One of the things I look for in spring is the Dark-Edged Bee-fly, Bombylius major , appearing in my garden. These are strange-looking insects, which look a bit like cute and fluffy brown bees with a huge long sting, flying backwards. In fact, the ‘sting’ is the proboscis (tongue) of the animal and is permanently out in a rigid, forward facing position. They cannot sting, nor can they bite you.
Depending on whereabouts in the UK you are, you might see the Dark Edged Bee-fly, or you might be lucky and see Bombylius discolor , the Dotted Bee-fly. If you are extraordinarily lucky, you might find one of the other nine species of Bee-fly to be found here, some of which are rather rare.
Whichever one you come across, however, they are not just a pretty face, but have a dark side to their lifestyle. I’ve said that they can’t sting or bite, haven’t I? So go ahead and try to capture one in your cupped hands if you want to – they are completely harmless 1 . But good luck with that, because though they might look slow and bumbly hovering in front of that flower or a few inches above your lawn, they are in fact remarkably zippy little things. Now you see it, now you don’t!
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