Flies & a Wasp?

This hoverfly appears to be very common. I was looking at a Hoverfly book on Ebay today and I think I saw this one on the example page. Will go and have another look. Update: from looking on Google for hoverfly pics I think this is Eristalis lineata. Seems clear that it is named after the series of lines accross the abdomen. The eyes should be 'without a conspicuous pattern of dark spots'. I will look for things on Google and then try to confirm from other sources.

Will look this one up as well in the fulness of time. Update: It now seems this updating might become a continuous process. In my innocence I thought a clear picture of the backmarkings would be enough...oh dear, oh dear... in my copy of Hoverflies, Gilbert & Falk, Cambridge University Press, 1986, this looks to be Helophilus pendulus. However, other members of the species Helophilus lack the black facial stripe and are yellow on only the basal third of the hind tibiea rather than two thirds as in pendulus. So it looks like I need to get a mug shot as well!

This looks like some sort of wasp. Very striking and it was hassling the bees from their blossoms. Update: this seems to be a Mason wasp. More info. to follow. Update 2: Is definately of the Ancistrocerus tribe and the most widespread of these is trifasciatus but the pics I've seen so far of this don't look quite right. I'll have a look at some others. (could also be parietinus).

This looks to me like a hoverfly masquerading as some sort of bee. That looks like a 'proper' bee making a sharp exit to the bottom left of the picture. Update: Am pretty confident this is a drone fly Eristalsis tenax, larvae of which are the so-called 'rat tailed maggots'. Update 2: However this specimen could be Eristalsis pertinax which does'nt have eye stripes or a feathery arista (spike growing from the antennae - ref for myself).

Hoverfly

In the garden this afternoon we saw this rather nice hoverfly bothering the Catmint. It is smaller or at least more slender and more delicate than the usual run of hoverflies we see in the garden. I will try and identify it but if there are any hoverfly enthusiasts out there could you let me know what it is? Thanks.

It seemed to be doing something with its rear end. I wondered if it was ovipositing or something. This hunched position was characteristic, in contrast to its generally slender form.

Various bees were very very busy on the catmint and lavenders, but we didn't see a single butterfly in the garden all afternoon.