Heather Angel / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) hovering whilst nectaring on Honesty (Lunaria annua), proboscis covered with pollen. Nature reserve, Surrey, England, UK. March.

Heather Angel / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) nectaring on Goat willow (Salix caprea) catkin. Surrey, England, UK. March.

Heather Angel / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) nectaring on Darwin's barberry (Berberis darwinii). Surrey, England, UK. April.

Heather Angel / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) feeding on Primrose (Primula vulgaris). March.

Heather Angel / Bee fly (Bombylius major) foraging on Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) on roadside verge. Pollen is picked up on long proboscis and legs when touching anthers. Surrey, England, UK. April.

Heather Angel / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) with pollen covered legs lifting off from Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna). Roadside verge, Surrey, England, UK. April.

Heather Angel / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) nectaring on Primrose (Primula vulgaris). This insect is the main pollinator of Primrose. In nature reserve, Surrey, England, UK, April.

Heather Angel / Large bee-fly (Bombylius major) nectaring on Lungwort (Pulmonaria sp). In garden, Surrey, England, UK. March.

Kerstin Hinze / Greater bee fly (Bombylius) nectaring from Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) flowers, Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany, April.

Kerstin Hinze / Greater bee fly (Bombylius) nectaring from Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) flowers, Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany, April.

Kerstin Hinze / Greater bee fly (Bombylius) nectaring from Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) flowers, Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany, April.

Dave Bevan / Slow motion clip of a Dark edged bee fly (Bombylius major) nectaring from a Primrose flower (Primula vulgaris), Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK, May.

Rod Williams / Dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major) Beverley Court Gardens, Lewisham, London, England, UK. April.

Bernard Castelein / Beefly (Bombyllus major) on sand, Klein Schietveld, Brasschaat, Belgium, March.

Michael Hutchinson / Large Bee-fly (Bombylius major) feeding on forget-me-not flowers, April, Bristol, UK

Michael Hutchinson / Large bee fly (Bombylius major) close-up showing proboscis, Bristol, UK, April.

Michael Hutchinson / Large bee fly (Bombylius major), hanging upside-down from Japanese Maple, Bristol, UK, May.

Michael Hutchinson / Large Bee-fly (Bombylius major) feeding on forget-me-not flowers, April, Bristol, UK

Phil Savoie / Beefly (Bombylius major) feeding on Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis), Monmouthshire, Wales, UK, May.

Phil Savoie / Beefly (Bombylius major) feeding on Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) Monmouthshire, Wales, UK, April.

Phil Savoie / Bee fly (Bombylius major) feeding, in flight from Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis), Monmouthshire, Wales, UK, April.

Stephen Dalton / Beefly (Bombylius major) feeding on Bugle (Ajuga reptans) Rookery Wood, Sussex, England, UK, May.

Kim Taylor / Bee fly (Bombylius major) male hovering, on the lookout for females. Surrey, England, May.

Kim Taylor / Bee fly (Bombylius major) male hovering, on the lookout for females. Surrey, England, May.

Andy Sands / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) laying eggs on ground near to entrance of andrena sp. bee tunnel the larvae feed as parasites in the nests of andrena sp. bees, Hertfordshire, England, UK. March.

Andy Sands / Common Bee Fly (Bombylius major) laying eggs on ground near to entrance of andrena sp. bee tunnel the larvae feed as parasites in the nests of andrena sp. bees, Hertfordshire, England, UK. march

Rod Williams / Dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major) Brockley cemetery, Lewisham, London, England, UK. March

Kim Taylor / Bee fly (Bombylius major) pair mating, male on right. Surrey, England, April.

MYN / Tim Hunt / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) Barnt Green, Worcestershire, UK, April. meetyourneighbours.net project

Benjamin Barthelemy / Bee-fly (Bombylius major) on Meadow sage (Salvia pratensis) Cailles Valley Regional Nature Reserve / Reserve Naturelle Regionale de la Vallee des Cailles, Eure-et-Loir, France, May.

Alex Hyde / Common Bee Fly (Bombylius major) photographed in mobile field studio on a white background. Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. May.

Alex Hyde / Common Bee Fly (Bombylius major) photographed in mobile field studio on a white background. Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. May.

Paul Hobson / Brown edged bee fly (Bombylius major) feeding, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK, May.

Paul Hobson / Brown edged bee fly (Bombylius major) feeding, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK, May.

Andy Sands / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) in flight, Hertfordshire, England, UK, March.

Phil Savoie / Bee fly (Bombylius major) in flight, approaching Dwarf narcissus (Narcissus canaliculatus) flowers, Monmouthshire Wales, UK. March. Cropped.

Doug Wechsler / Greater bee fly (Bombylius major) resting on leaf, Pennsylvania, USA. April.

Doug Wechsler / Greater bee fly (Bombylius major) resting on leaf, Pennsylvania, USA. April.

Andy Sands / Bee fly (Bombylius major) resting on leaf at dawn covered in dew, with rising sun in background, Hertfordshire, UK. May. Focus stacked.

Michael Hutchinson / Dark-edged beefly (Bombylius major) collecting dust at the tip of their abdomen to coat its eggs which helps protect the eggs from drying out, Bristol, UK, April.

Paul Harcourt Davies / Large bee fly (Bombylius major) nectaring on flower, Umbria. Italy. May.

Will Watson / Female Drone fly (Eristalis tenax) and Greater bee fly (Bombylius major) nectaring on Grey sallow (Salix cinerea) catkins, Herefordshire, England, UK. March.

Andy Rouse / Dark-edged bee fly (Bombylius major) feeding Wales, UK

Andy Rouse / Dark-edged bee fly (Bombylius major) feeding Wales, UK

Nick Upton / Common / Dark-edged bee fly (Bombylius major) female hovering while flicking its tail down to 'bomb' eggs onto the ground near the nest entrances of a Mining bee (Andrena sp.) which its larvae...

Nick Upton / Common / Dark-edged bee fly (Bombylius major) female hovering while flicking its tail down to 'bomb' eggs onto the ground near the nest entrances of a Mining bee (Andrena sp.) which its larvae...

Michael Hutchinson / Dark-edged beefly (Bombylius major) feeding on pollen of Arabis caucasica flower, Bristol, UK, May

Michael Hutchinson / Dark-edged beefly (Bombylius major) Bristol, UK, March

Rod Williams / Dark-edged bee-flies (Bombylius major) mating pair on leaf litter, Brockley Cemetery, Lewisham, London, England, UK. March.

Nick Upton / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) nectaring on a Greater periwinkle flower (Vinca major), Wiltshire garden, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) nectaring on a Greater periwinkle flower (Vinca major), Wiltshire garden, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) sun basking on leaf litter, Wiltshire garden, UK, March.

Nick Upton / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) inserting its long proboscis into a Primrose flower (Primula vulgaris) to feed on nectar, Wiltshire garden, UK, March.

Nick Upton / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) inserting its long proboscis into a Primrose flower (Primula vulgaris) to feed on nectar, Wiltshire garden, UK, March.

Nick Upton / Common bee fly (Bombylius major) rubbing the tip of her abdomen in loose, sandy soil to fill her sand chamber where eggs are coated in sand, perhaps to improve aim and survival when eggs are dropped n...

Rod Williams / Dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major) Feeding on green alkanet Beverley Court Gardens, Lewisham, London, England, UK. April.

Rod Williams / Dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major) at rest Brockley Cemetery, Lewisham, London, England, UK. April.

Will Watson / Dark-edged Bee-flies (Bombylius major) mating, Shrawley Wood, SSSI, Worcestershire, England, April.