Marmalade Hoverfly  Episyrphus balteatus
Marmalade Hoverfly, Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England, July 2008 - click for larger image Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England

The Marmalade Hoverfly is very cosmopolitan and is found throughout the world. Sometimes the numbers found in Britain are increased with migrants from southern Europe.

It feeds and pollinates a wide variety of flowers while its larvae feed on aphids.
Marmalade Hoverfly, Monks Eleigh Garden, Suffolk, England, July 2010 - click for larger image In appearance it mimics a wasp and this is defensive. However, its behaviour tends to betray its real identity as it can hover quite still for several seconds as seen in photo 2.

Other features are the single pair of wings, unlike bees and wasps that have two pairs, and the vena spuria or dark vein-like structure in the middle of the wing that allows the wings to flex and the fly to hover.

There is more information on Wikipedia.
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