Diptera

Syrphidae

Volucella pellucens

Volucella pellucens - Derbyshire, England - July 2010

The large, distinctive, wasp-mimic Volucella pellucens has the ability to walk straight into social wasp nests to lay their eggs without being attacked.  The larvae live and develop inside the wasp nest, feeding as scavengers on discarded prey items, nest detritus and, if it can get away with it, untended wasp larvae.

Volucella pellucens - Derbyshire, England - July 2010