Marmalade Fly

Episyrphus balteatus

Common residents throughout Britain.

Flies from June-August.

The upper side of the abdomen is patterned with orange and black bands.

This color pattern may appear wasp-like to other animals, such as birds, protecting it from predation – an example of Batesian mimicry.

Females tend to be darker than Males.

Two further identifying characteristics are secondary black bands on the third and fourth dorsal plates and faint greyish longitudinal stripes on the thorax.

As in most other Hoverflies, males can be easily identified by their holoptic eyes, i.e., at the top of their heads their left and right compound eyes are touching.