Bumblebee in Flight

The shutter speed for this picture was 1/5000th of a second showing that this bee's wings beat more than 5,000 times per second! There are 101 species of bee found in Ireland and identification can be extremely difficult. A useful website to help in identifying Irish bees is http://www.tcd.ie/Zoology/research/Bees/index.php

Parasitic Fly (Dexia rustica)

There are around 200 species of parasitic flies found in Ireland. This one lays its eggs in beetle larvae. When the young hatch out they proceed to eat the unfortunate host alive. They leave the vital organs until last to keep the host alive until the fly larvae is ready to pupate.