The hornet's life cycle is similar to that of the common wasp. datasets have provided data to the NBN Atlas for this species.. Browse the list of datasets and find organisations you can join if you are interested in participating in a survey for species like Asilus crabroniformis Linnaeus, 1758 This species is probably our biggest species of true fly (Diptera) and my first encounter with on was at this site, when I witnessed one take a grasshopper in mid air!

The largest of the British social wasps, they build papery nests in hollow trees, although hornet nests have been discovered in wall cavities and chimneys.

I then set off to look for another target, the hornet robberfly. Smith (2000) suggests that there are no more than 40-45 sites in England where populations of Asilus are breeding. This is a distinctive species with its hairy face, thick black proboscis, brown body and yellow tail, although the latter can be hidden beneath the brown-tinged wings when the fl y is at rest. They prefer dung beetles, but also eat bees and grasshoppers. With black-and-yellow markings, the Hornet robberfly looks like its namesake, but is harmless to us. The fly is found in unimproved grassland and heath in southern England and Wales. Hornets appear very similar to common wasps, but are larger and coloured chestnut-brown (rather than black) and yellow. Hornet robber fly Asilus crabroniformis Asilidae feeding on a dung beetle Aphodius fimetarius UK European wild ginger, Asarum europaeum 1, Libelloides longicornis, Ascalaphus longicornis 2, milkweed, Asclepias syriaca 3, and hornet robberfly, Asilus crabroniformis 4.

Hornet This mimicry helps to protect it from predators while it perches in the open, waiting for its own prey. Species text The Hornet Robber Fly Asilus crabroniformis is a priority UKBAP species on the basis of its decline, with post-1970 records from only about 40 ten km squares nationally (UKBAP). The hornet robber fly feeds on insects like beetles (Image by Sam Bosanquet) One of the UK's rarest and largest flies has been discovered living in a meadow in south Wales.

The hornet robber fly, which feeds on dung beetles, has been found thriving in … The Hornet robberfl y is a predatory fl y that can grow to more than an inch long, making it arguably the largest fl y in the UK. Hornet Robberflies are predators, sitting and waiting on a suitable perch (such as a stone or pile of animal dung) for smaller insects to fly past, which they catch on the wing.