Nature’s greatest method actors: the insects that cosplay bumblebees

By James Gilbert, Senior Lecturer in Zoology, University of Hull
Lesley J. Morrell, Professor of Bioscience Education, University of Hull

Deception is everywhere in nature. Animals and plants routinely cheat, lie and manipulate for their own benefit. One example is mimicry, where one species (the mimic) has evolved to resemble another (the model).

No group of animals takes this to greater lengths than hoverflies – bean-sized bullets that zip around your garden, cosplaying bees and wasps.

As some new research by ourselves and others show,…

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