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Is this a wasp?
Lucid
Posts: 387
Hi everyone,
Is this a wasp or a small type of hornet?
It didn't look exactly like I expected a wasp to as it seems to be a little more orangey than yellow. It's been sitting on top of the bag of top soil, and flying inside the bag of top soil. I was planning to use the soil soon and am now a little concerned it's making use of it as a living space.
Lucid 
0
Posts
It is neither, it is a hoverfly. Completely harmless, and beneficial. They pollinate flowers, and some feed on aphids.
looks like a hoverfly to me though it's hard to see.
wasps hornets have very thin waists (not like me
)
and 2 pairs of wings where hoverflies have only one pair of wings.
bees have 2 pairs of wings as well
yours looks like just one pair
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks Alan Clark2 and nutcutlet. Hoverfly didn't cross my mind as it seemed bigger than I thought they could be. It is hard to see on the photo but I don't think there are 2 pairs of wings so hopefully it is just a hoverfly. We've got wasps around the garden at the moment, they particularly like landing on the pond plants to get a drink, but I don't want to venture in to the bag and disturb a wasp or hornet.
Lucid
There are some hoverflies bigger than some wasps.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks nutcutlet, I'll have to keep that in mind.