Here is Bombylius major at Oxshott, keeping the engines running after she lands to load up with sand.

Also Bombylius major, dropping eggs at a solitary bees burrow. Watch carefully and a small bee face appears as though to say “Oi, what the 🤬”. I don’t know if bees can actually pick up and remove eggs if they are vigilant?

Day 19 of #InsectAdvent Santa has a sac full of presents, so does Villa cingulata but hers is full of sand. Her sac is at the end of her abdomen & here she is twerking to get the sand to coat her eggs (on exit) to prevent desiccation - cool mum 😎 @royentsoc.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social

Tufa springs on coal tips 💦 These rare micro-habitats form where water passing through coal spoil picks up calcium - likely from ancient marine bands - and deposits it at the surface. Unusual in the acidic Valleys, and vital for specialist wildlife like soldierflies. #GloiNatur #CoaltoNature

Bee-flies mimic solitary bees with their furry bodies, long proboscis & darting flight 🪰 Join Dr @tonymadgwick.bsky.social on 25 Mar 2026 for an entoLEARN covering all 9 UK species, their ecology & how to record them with Bee-fly Watch. 🧪 Book your space now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1976745510...

Discover 48 UK soldierflies: boldly patterned spring–summer flower visitors, with larvae recycling nutrients in wetlands, woodland & gardens. Join @kitenet.bsky.social on 16 Apr 2026 for a talk on their ID, ecology & standout species www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1976906539... @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

RACING TO THE FINISH LINE Now that the introductory pages of our #FliesofBritainandIreland are being finalised the book is nearing completion - due Jan/mid-Feb 2026. Pre-order now bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @gailashton.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @wildlifekate.bsky.social

And then in April (16th) the focus is on soldierflies, with another @biologicalrecording.co.uk webinar session exploring the range of species and their ecology www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/soldierfli...

There are now only about 90 shopping days until the next #BeeFlyWatch season 😄 Get yourself into the right frame of mind via this EntoLearn webinar on 25 March from @biologicalrecording.co.uk - bookings now open www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bee-flies-...

Horseflies are impressively large insects, but even so this is the first time I've seen a mist net used to trap them! Recorded, photographed and released by L Lambert last June. I don't *think* they ringed it as well 😂

Day 6 of #InsectAdvent Done all your prep for you Xmas party? Decorations up, food organised and your outfit looking amazing. Then relax like this Bombylius discolor - sitting down in its finest waiting for the action to start… @royentsoc.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social

It's time to prepare the next scheme newsletter! Contributions gratefully received, e.g. short articles/brief notes on interesting sightings/photos. I'll need them before Christmas please 🙏 If you don't have my email you can contact me via the link on the website dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies...

A Recording Scheme newsletter was sent out to @dipteristsforum.bsky.social members last spring, but I've just realised that I hadn't uploaded it to the website. That omission has now been put right, and newsletter 11 is available along with all the others here dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies...

A superb photo of what I think is a pair of Kite-tailed Robberfly (Machimus atricapillus) - click through to see the full detail of the image 🤩

Twin-Spot Centurion Soldierfly near Coltsfoot Pond on 27/10 @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @greenhampshire.bsky.social @lgspace.bsky.social

Agree with @vannabartlett.bsky.social - Slender-footed Robberfly, Leptarthrus brevirostris (a male)

Twin-spot Centurion (Sargus bipunctatus) found on the back door this morning. An attractive #soldierfly @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @ecorecord.bsky.social

Soldierflies are much less well known than hoverflies but some species are highly colourful. Sargus bipunctatus ♀ today in Bengeo garden, large attractive woodland species & last soldierfly to appear during year. @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social #Stratiomyidae

Fantastic detail in these photos of a hungry Kite-tailed Robberfly (Machimus atricapillus, female)

Calling all @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social @ynuorg.bsky.social @yorkswildlife.bsky.social members, there is a great indoor workshop on soliderflies coming up soon. I'll be there, and hope to see you too! www.ywt.org.uk/events/2025-... Or DM me for details @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

My 1st Chorisops nagatomii I believe, seen in Tamworth, #Staffs 30/08/25 @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @kitenet.bsky.social #soldierfly #Diptera

A stunning Sargus bipunctatus soldierfly seen in Tamworth, #Staffs 30/08/25 @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @kitenet.bsky.social #soldierfly

A short clip from my Hornet Robberfly fact file video, where I where I tell the story of how I ended up obsessed enough to spend every free sunny day walking around a field near my house looking at horse poo trying to film them! @flygirlnhm.bsky.social #bugsky #ukwildlife

A Kite-tailed Robberfly enjoys a froghopper meal at Bodham churchyard today. Quite a nice rural churchyard with 60 lichen species.

I believe this to be the Robberfly Machimus cingulatus, seen on the Gentleshaw Common Bioblitz, 16/08/25 @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @kitenet.bsky.social @c-forrest-king.bsky.social #Asilidae

I think this one is Machimus atricapillus, Kite-tailed Robberfly, seen 08/08/25 at Brandon Marsh @warwickshirewt.bsky.social @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @kitenet.bsky.social #Asilidae @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Dune Villa 'twerking' as @flygirlnhm.bsky.social describes it! - possibly filmed for the 1st time? Took me over an hour to film this much footage because the ruddy thing just keep fly and flying and flying, fast and low and stop for about a second before flying and flying.... #bugsky #ukwildlife

Hornet robber fly on the Lydden Downs near Dover.

The bee fly Villa modesta on coastal dunes, St Martin's, Scilly

Another characteristic sand dune species from Scilly - the robberfly Philonicus albiceps

This Four-barred Major Soldierfly is our second ever record on 25/7 with the previous sighting made in 2019. It's yellow and black colouring is presumed to deter predators @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @insects.bsky.social @lgspace.bsky.social

Kite-tailed Robberfly Lytchett Bay, Dorset @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

I look forward to seeing my first Hornet Robberflies every year. One of my favourite insects, three of these absolute units were on sentry duty around some of the Purbeck Heath dung piles earlier this afternoon @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

Four-barred Soldierfly, Oxycera rara. Found early yesterday morning on hedge only metres from a housing estate in East Yorkshire. It was not bothered by me moving the leaf to try to get a better photo (even so photos not that crisp, a pity).

This is the most northerly UK record ever for Broad Centurion, Chloromyia formosa! It's been known from Orkney for at least 11 years, but this record (and photo) by Karen Leonard is the first to come from Mainland island.

An amazing observation and photo by Bryony Chapman of the Hornet Robberfly tucking into a spicy meal of Nicrophorus carrion beetle @carrionbeetlesuk.bsky.social - these robberflies really are the boss of insect predators 🦁 @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

A very small soldierfly, possibly the Green Gem - Microchrysa flavicornis, on a Hawthorn leaf earlier today @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

The uncommon soldierfly Hill Soldier (Oxycera pardalina) ovipositing into the head of a Common Cotton-grass plant on the North York Moors recently. @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Chrysopilus laetus ♀ today in Bengeo garden. Until recently this distinctive orange snipefly was a major rarity restricted to Beech of Windsor Forest but has suddenly started to expand its range. @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social #TreeSnipefly #saproxylic #climatechange

This female Tabanus autumnalis (Large Marsh Horsefly) was busy laying eggs on the edge of a temporary pool at Silverlake, near Dorchester, earlier today @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

Excellent news for this very restricted species of bee-fly #BeeFlyWatch

Good record: Stratiomys singularior, Flecked General soldierfly 🤩 - thanks to @sjbknott.bsky.social for additional confirmation

Soldierflies are not as well known as hoverflies but some species are really beautiful. Chloromyia formosa ♀ yesterday on unmown lawn in Bengeo garden, common grassland species. @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

A new generation of the Dark Giant Horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus) in the making up on the @northyorkmoors.org.uk on Monday...they were loving the heat over the rushy meadows! @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Some soldierflies are as large as bumblebee queens. Stratiomys potamida ♂ today in Bengeo garden, striking wasp mimic. @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social

Thank you Ian - this is important work but hopefully enjoyable as well!

Fens and other wetlands are the classic soldierfly habitat, ideally with calcareous shallow water and seepages incl. tufa deposits. But some species (e.g. Chorisops, Beris) can be found more widely, e.g. by sweeping the lower branches of trees even in dry habitats, and some visit umbellifer flowers

Acrosathe annulata - Coastal Silver-stiletto, seen near Stourton, south Staffordshire @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

A rather splendid female Haematopota pluvialis having a rest inbetween attempting to feed from me, seen 28/06/25 at #RSPBMiddletonLakes @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social #Tabanidae #Diptera