The bee-fly

Wildlife writer Jane Adams is looking forward to her own personal sign of spring – the Mary Quant of the insect world

What marks spring’s arrival for you? For some, it’s golden daffodils swaying in the breeze or the haunting call of a cuckoo newly arrived from Africa. For me, it’s a weird but wonderful insect: the bee-fly. I never go looking for this little creature, it just seems to magically appear. On a sunny March day, when warm sunshine entices me into the garden, I’ll be kneeling, cutting back dead plant stems, and one will suddenly just be there, buzzing frantically. There are ten species of bee-fly in the UK, but the one you’re most likely to see in March is the dark-edged bee-fly. With a fluffy round body, ridiculously long legs and a protruding tongue, it’s admittedly quite weird-looking. Occasionally, one might land on a dead leaf or patch of bare earth to sunbathe. That’s when you might spot the dark, jagged pattern on the edge of its wings that gives it its name. And although this fly might look similar to a bumblebee, it has no sting, it’s harmless –to humans, at least. It’s also very refined – you won’t find these dainty insects bumping into flowers, like a clumsy bumble. They’re the Chanel catwalk model of the fly world, oozing precision and poise, especially when feeding. With their long delicate tongues, bee-flies delve into the deepest spring flowers for nectar and pollen. All while still hovering. I’ve seen them feeding on primroses, green alkanet, cowslip and dandelions, but you’re likely to find them on other flowers.

The dark side

However, this seemingly benign fly has a dark side. In common with at least 40 percent of the world’s insect species, beeflies are parasites. Instead of making their own nests and laying eggs, females flick their eggs towards the entrance hole of ground-nesting solitary bees. Once hatched, these larvae trundle into the bee nest, eat the food supplies left for the bee’s young and then consume the bee grubs. But don’t worry. It doesn’t harm bee populations and has been happening for millions of years. It’s all part of a healthy ecosystem.

• Jane Adams has a book out this month: Nature’s Wonders: Moments that mark the seasons, published in conjunction with National Trust. You can see our review of it on P.XX

There is another species of bee-fly you might spot in your garden in late March, and that’s the dotted bee-fly (image below).

Not as common as the darkedged Chanel-look-alike, the dotted bee-fly, with its flamboyant spotted wings, is a raving Mary Quant.

The Dartford warbler is a small, dark bird with a fine bill and a long tail that is often cocked