Startling (might be scary) but harmless garden visitors
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 9:57 am
This large flying insect came up from behind me and then proceeded to hover in mid-air.
It was right in front of me — large ... about 1 inch. Making loud humming noises. I couldn’t see the fast-moving wings but could see the body clearly — it held so still — so of course I dug out my cell phone to take pictures. At first I thought hornet or cicada killer wasp, but the eyes were obviously fly eyes.
It let me take bunch of photos including live-photos (I wish I could share them). So I was able to ID it.
Species Milesia virginiensis - Yellowjacket Hover Fly - BugGuide.Net
https://bugguide.net/node/view/2837
Milesia virginiensis (Drury 1773)
Size 18-21 mm
Identification
Large syrphid that resembles a hornet; has much lighter wings, wider dark bands on abdomen than M. scutellata(1)
believed to be a mimic of the Southern Yellowjacket