Replying to Avatar ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴍʟᴇᴋᴜ

also there is a predatory fly common here on #madeira that looks like a wasp but it doesn't sting and it's quite a funny critter because it often seems to want to be friends with people... but i've seen them, they eat flies and such, but not your typical wasp type, they probably have a sting but i'm pretty sure that they are fly hunters and carrion eaters
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Alby 11mo ago

Hah, we remember, you told us last year!

It's a robber fly, right?

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ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴍʟᴇᴋᴜ 11mo ago

nah, but it's something a bit similar

https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/17142

they are called madeira hoverflies... totally correct name for them, and how they behave, but they are insect eaters, i have seen them eating flies and attacking flies

i remember in australia and new zealand there was a somewhat similar type of fly that the locals called "bot" flies, not sure why exactly, but also they had a habit of hovering around people, and looking like wasps or bees but not actually being that kind of insect

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gojiberra 11mo ago

We used to call those "sweat bees". I have no idea why they hover in place around people.