Is it a bee? A hornet? Anyone know?

We get them here in the garden. The first time I saw one it really scared me!

It is beautiful isn't Auntieflo? Because I wasn't sure what it was, whether it was aggressive, I made sure I stayed behind it to take the photo - didn't want to stand right in its flight path ?

Bathsheba that sure is some flying bug!
I have never seen anything like that, and well done rockgran for getting an identification.

Have seen hornets in recent years and they look like giant wasps. Not much danger of mistaking them. Never seen one of your huge hover flies though.

See I googled 'bees, wasps and hornets' and got nowhere. Didn't occur to me to try beelike insects. Good thinking!

Thankyou!

And that is skill.

I googled beelike insects and bugs that look like bees.

Ah thanks rockgran - yes that’s the one. I take my hat off to your Googling skills ?

Volucella zonaria - a kind of hoverfly I think. I found it here
www.naturespot.org.uk/species/volucella-zonaria