DRONE FLY

With the windows open in this hot weather, there are unfortunately a lot of pollinator deaths and bug demises.  They get trapped inside the house.  Unfortunate for them but interesting for an old bugger like me as a whole lot of interesting specimens that I would otherwise have overlooked become available

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The photo below is of a recent victim, the Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax). 'Drone' because it resembles a male honey be or drone, not because it is a remote controlled flying object.  As you can see, the colour soon fades when they die.

It is one of the commonest hover flies and is quite colourful when alive as in the photo below from my 'Collins Pocket Guide' by Michael Chinery.

Drone flies are part of a closely related group illustrated below in which there is a noticeable u-shaped kink in one of the veins in the wing - a useful identification tip.