Martin Harvey's blog

Following the recent release of our photo ID guide to soldierflies in genus

Bee-flies were out and about on the ridiculously early date of 17 February last year!

The first two photo ID guides for soldierflies are now available to download.

A section on larvae and other early stages has been added to the Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme website. This is work in progress and will hopefully build up into a useful resource.

The recording scheme guide to bee-flies in genus Bombylius has been updated to provide some more information on how to distinguish the two clear-winged summer bee-flies: Western Bee-fly Bombylius canescens, and Heath Bee-fly Bombylius minor. (The section on the two pattern-winged spring bee-flies remains unchanged.)

During 2018, the Tanyptera Trust's North West Invertebrates project commissioned a survey of two horseflies in north-west England: Cheshire Horsefly (Atylotus plebeius) and Broad-headed Horsefly (Hybomitra lurida). These species are known from moss and bog habitats in the Cheshire Plain, but neither had been recorded since the 20th century.

Update: after this record was reported for 24 Feb 201

Astonishingly, the first bee-fly of 2019 was seen today, 24 February - one

Two new identification comparison pages have been added to the website recently: