Arthropods Daily – Issue No. 121

The Volucella zonaria species is found in various parts of Europe, Tunisia, Iran, Russia, and Mongolia. In Great Britain, it was once considered rare but has become more common in the South and Southeast regions. These hoverflies prefer meadows close to forests as their habitat. They are large, with a reddish-brown thorax and yellow face, and they mimic the appearance and flight of European hornets. Adults are migratory and can be found from May to September, feeding on the nectar of various flowers. Females lay their eggs in nests of wasps and hornets, and the larvae live in these nests as commensals. The pupae overwinter in the soil and hatch in the following spring.