Bug FAQLesser Hornet Hoverfly
Volucella inanis · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Adult Lesser Hornet Hoverflies are 15 to 17 mm long and have three yellow bands on a black abdomen, with the first two bands often broken by a black wedge. They are seen from early July to early September visiting flowers such as yarrow, dill, heather, thistles and Buddleja, and females lay eggs inside social wasp and hornet nests where the larvae parasitise wasp brood.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
They display three yellow bands on a black abdomen, the first two sometimes interrupted by a black wedge, which makes them look like wasps.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 15 to 17 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are active from early July through early September, feeding on a variety of flowers including yarrow, dill, heather, thistles and Buddleja.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults visit flowers such as yarrow, dill, heather, thistles and Buddleja for nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The female deposits eggs inside wasp or hornet nests; the hatched larvae develop by feeding on the host wasp larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are most commonly seen from early July to early September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs across most of Europe, the eastern Palearctic, the Near East and North Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell this hoverfly apart from a wasp?
Look for the three yellow bands on a black abdomen, where the first two bands are often broken by a black wedge, unlike the solid bands of most wasps.
Source: Wikipedia
When are Lesser Hornet Hoverflies active?
They are typically seen from early July through early September.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volucella_inanis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.