Watch Out for These Top 10 Largest Flying Insects in England

England is the largest country in the United Kingdom, bordered by Wales and Scotland. You may be familiar with England because of its longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth. This beautiful country has a lot to offer for all travelers, including their pesky insects. Equivalent to many places around the world, England has some of the largest flying insects throughout the country. Before visiting this country, it is important to know which kind of flying insects you may encounter.

1. Hornet Robberfly

The scientific name for the hornet robberfly is Asilus crabroniformis, which is the largest fly in England. The Horney robberfly emerges between June and October. The fly is black and yellow with a body length of 2.5 centimeters. These creatures feed on dung beetles, bees, and grasshoppers. Although, these creatures look scary, they are harmless to humans.

2. Cockchafers

The cockchafers, Melolontha melolantha, are normally seen in south England. This large beetle is between 2.5 and 3 centimeters in length. Light attract these insects and they make a noisy hum when flying. This bug is also known as the May bug.

3. Ruby Tailed Wasps

The ruby tailed wasps is also known as the “cuckoo wasp” or the “emerald wasp”. These solitary insects emerge between April and September. The shiny blue-green insect can grow up to 5 millimeters. This beautiful wasp do not sting humans, although they have long stingers.

4. Heath Potter Wasp

The heath potter wasp are in the Heathlands of southern England between late April and mid October. These wasps make mud pots to collect small caterpillars and paralyze them for when their eggs hatch. Making clay pots can take between 2 to 3 hours for the wasp. The scientific name for the heath potter wasp is Eumenes coarctatus.

5. Dark-Edged Bee Fly

The dark-edged bee fly, Bombylius major, live in southern England, the Midlands, and Welsh lowlands between March and May. The eight centimeter fly has a long tongue sticking out of its head for drinking nectar. Although this fly mimics bees, it is actually a fly.

6. European Beewolf

The scientific name for this insect is, Philanthus triangulum, and grow up to 17 millimeters in length. This insect digs nests in sandy spots to hunt for honey bees. This solitary wasp can emerge between July and September.

7. Large Red Damselfly

The 35 millimeter large red damselfly live and fly over England between April and July. This insect hangs around ponds, wetlands, and streams. The scientific name for this fly is Pyrrhosoma nymphula.

8. Marmalade Hoverfly

The scientific name for this fly is Episyrphus balteatus and is found in Britain. The fly is black with orange stripes and can grow up to 1.2 centimeters in length. If you are a gardner you will see these insects hanging around your garden looking for nectar. These insects are common all over Britain and are orange with black markings.

9. Emperor Dragonfly

The emperor dragonfly is Britain’s bulkiest dragonfly. The scientific name for this dragonfly is the Anax imperator. This dragonfly is bright blue and green and are 78 millimeters in length. Young emperor dragonflies are referred to as nymphs and can take up to 1 year to develop their wings. Once they are full winged adults, they only live for 10 days. This insect emerge between June and August around large ponds and lakes.

10. The Dark Giant Horsefly

This fly can grow up to 5 centimeters in length and compare to the size of a queen bumblebee. This horsefly can is found in Britain. The dark giant horsefly will bite horses and cattle for a blood meal; however, they have made humans their victim as well. These type of flies are prone to transmitting diseases, but in Denmark, so far their has not been any evidence of this becoming in issue. If visiting ponds or lake, make sure to wear insect repellant or long sleeves.

I hope that after reading about some of the top flying insects in England have not caused you to not want to visit! If anything now that you know about their flying insects, this will encourage you to visit and observe these creatures! Some of these large flying insects are harmless to humans; however, wear insect repellant and protective long sleeves to be on the safe side. Any part of the world can make you second guess if you should visit, especially when not knowing what you can encounter. Always research places that you choose to visit so you can be safe and still be able to observe creatures native to certain parts of the world!