Bumblebee and Hoverfly

Red-tailed bumble-bee, Bombus lapidarius.  Hayes Common, 18 May 2011.

Above, a bumblebee I photographed in a clearing in the woods on Hayes Common. It landed in front of me in a patch of dry grass. Below, a hoverfly from a different part of the same common.

This hoverfly is a good mimic. As a species it is variable and does not mimic any particular bee, but this specimen would be hard to tell from the red-tailed bumblebee at any distance (unless you're an expert). Closer, you can certainly see that the hoverfly has short stubby antennae, nothing like the bee's longer angled ones, and the eyes are set very differently.

I don't know what the tiny fly is on the lower photo. I often find small flies captured by accident in these photos.

Eristalis intricarius, a hoverfly that mimics a bee,  and a tiny fly on ox-eye daisy,
Leucanthemum vulgare.  Hayes Common, 21 May 2011.

Both taken with the EOS 450D and 100mm macro lens.