Hornet robber fly IMGP5658
St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Kent, England.
Body length: 2.5cm
Conservation status
Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.
When to see
June to October
About
The Hornet Robberfly is a predator, sitting and waiting on a suitable perch (such as a stone or pile of animal dung) for smaller insects to fly past, which it catches on the wing. It prefers dung beetles, but will also eat bees and grasshoppers. It breeds in animal dung on heathland and downland, the larvae hatching and feeding on beetle grubs in the soil.
How to identify
The Hornet Robberfly has a brown thorax and a black-and-yellow abdomen, just like its namesake. There are 28 species of robberfly in the UK, which can be very difficult to tell apart; the Hornet Robberfly is one of the largest.
Distribution
Southern England and South Wales.
Habitats
GrasslandHeathland and moorland
Did you know?
The main reason for the decline in the Hornet Robberfly is the transferral of harmful chemicals from the treatments farmers use on their livestock, to the dung in which the insects live. In turn, this kills, or causes serious deformities in, the robberflies that feed on the dung.
The Wildlife Trusts: Protecting Wildlife for the Future. Registered charity number 207238
Hornet robber fly IMGP5658
St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Kent, England.
Body length: 2.5cm
Conservation status
Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.
When to see
June to October
About
The Hornet Robberfly is a predator, sitting and waiting on a suitable perch (such as a stone or pile of animal dung) for smaller insects to fly past, which it catches on the wing. It prefers dung beetles, but will also eat bees and grasshoppers. It breeds in animal dung on heathland and downland, the larvae hatching and feeding on beetle grubs in the soil.
How to identify
The Hornet Robberfly has a brown thorax and a black-and-yellow abdomen, just like its namesake. There are 28 species of robberfly in the UK, which can be very difficult to tell apart; the Hornet Robberfly is one of the largest.
Distribution
Southern England and South Wales.
Habitats
GrasslandHeathland and moorland
Did you know?
The main reason for the decline in the Hornet Robberfly is the transferral of harmful chemicals from the treatments farmers use on their livestock, to the dung in which the insects live. In turn, this kills, or causes serious deformities in, the robberflies that feed on the dung.
The Wildlife Trusts: Protecting Wildlife for the Future. Registered charity number 207238