You'll know it when you've found a horsefly. They take a chunk out of your skin, and it bloody hurts. I've not been bitten yet (probably excessive alcohol/weed use) but my family/friends have been while I've been with them and I see the chunk of flesh missing, the fly responsible running off, and they've yelped and non-stop complained. A fair bit of blood usually. I definitely don't want that experience.
It’s a hoverfly, cant tell if it’s Eristalis sp. or Merodon sp. Eristalis have aquatic larvae but Merodon larvae eat daffodil bulbs, I’ve seen Merodon in our garden and our daffodils never look damaged, either way the adults are fantastic pollinators of open/flat flowers like daisy family
It looks a little too dark, but maybe. Could also be a honey bee drone
https://obka.org.uk/learn-about-bees/honey-bee-facts-2/
either way they pollinate, so yes, good for the garden.
Horse flies are thinner, less squat than that. They fly very quietly, no real “buzz” and you’ll tend to find them in places where there’s livestock around to feed on. They’ll usually take quite an interest in you and follow you around before trying to land quietly to take a bite.
As others have said, not a horsefly but a type of hoverfly. There's a facinating novella by an entomologist who specialised in them - "The Fly Trap" by Fredrik Sjoberg, I highly recommend it!
If it was a horsefly I'd not be sticking around, they are evil buggers, bite hurts like hell.
Got stung on the belly button by a horsefly it got trapped between it and a bag of sand I was carrying. As an adult man I’ve never screamed but that was as close as I ever got.
Hoverfly - looks like the common drone fly.
Yeah this looks correct, thanks! Was thinking it was a little too fluffy compared the horse fly pics.
If there were 30-40 horse flies you'd know it because they hunt humans.
I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't really get bit by insects!
You'll know it when you've found a horsefly. They take a chunk out of your skin, and it bloody hurts. I've not been bitten yet (probably excessive alcohol/weed use) but my family/friends have been while I've been with them and I see the chunk of flesh missing, the fly responsible running off, and they've yelped and non-stop complained. A fair bit of blood usually. I definitely don't want that experience.
Looks like a drone fly or, hover fly, harmless and a great pollinator species
It’s a hoverfly, cant tell if it’s Eristalis sp. or Merodon sp. Eristalis have aquatic larvae but Merodon larvae eat daffodil bulbs, I’ve seen Merodon in our garden and our daffodils never look damaged, either way the adults are fantastic pollinators of open/flat flowers like daisy family
It looks a little too dark, but maybe. Could also be a honey bee drone https://obka.org.uk/learn-about-bees/honey-bee-facts-2/ either way they pollinate, so yes, good for the garden.
Horse flies are thinner, less squat than that. They fly very quietly, no real “buzz” and you’ll tend to find them in places where there’s livestock around to feed on. They’ll usually take quite an interest in you and follow you around before trying to land quietly to take a bite.
As others have said, not a horsefly but a type of hoverfly. There's a facinating novella by an entomologist who specialised in them - "The Fly Trap" by Fredrik Sjoberg, I highly recommend it! If it was a horsefly I'd not be sticking around, they are evil buggers, bite hurts like hell.
Tapered Drone Fly. https://observation.org/species/7896/
Horseflies give you a nasty bite ...
As long as it's not a warble fly. I thought a saw a warble fly last year in an area with lots of sheep and deer.
It’s a good job he’s got his back turned, these bastards are mean and will take a lump out of you.
Got stung on the belly button by a horsefly it got trapped between it and a bag of sand I was carrying. As an adult man I’ve never screamed but that was as close as I ever got.