General
Remarkably similar in appearance to the drone (male) of the Honey Bee. The adult is 12-14mm with a wing span between 20-25 mm. Head and thorax are black with long golden hairs. Abdomen is mostly black with yellow/orange markings which may be indistinct. The wings are strongly veined with the two long veins meeting and following the wing margin before they meet it. The third vein has a distinctive deep bend in it. Eggs are laid in stagnant pools. The larvae have an extremely long breathing tube, hence their common name of rat-tailed maggot.

Significance
No real pest status. The presence of the rat-tailed maggots in water butts, outside lavatories etc. often causes concern.

Control
Their presence indoors is usually by casual invasion and treatment is not necessary.