Is it a bee?

[margot]

I've been seeing an insect on the chrysanthemums that looks very much like my honeybees but is somewhat larger and darker. There's an hourglass shaped pattern on the back, and the end of the abdomen is solid black. It acts like a honeybee. Does anyone know what it is?

[Michael Bush]

There are many different varieties of bumble bees. There are some bumble bees that would fit that description. The are slightly wider, proportionately than a honey bee, but not so much as some of the larger bumble bees. That would be my guess.

[dragonfly]

There are also bee-flies that look similar and act like honeybees. I had some this summer, and couldn't figure out what they were. They looked like fuzzy honeybees that were slightly larger than my bees. Do a search on bombyllidae (maybe I spelled it wrong- can't remember for sure), and see if it gets you anywhere.

[MRJPRICH]

...I have seen one like that and on some 'Mums' too now that I think about it, but they didn't have much black on the abdomen though. I've seen them for several weeks now in the area and I think that I am about 10 miles from your town, as the bee flys. I never see more than a couple though.

[margot]

I did a search on bombyliidae, but the insect I've observed is not hairy.
Yes, I'm about 10 or 12 miles north of White River Junction. It's interesting that we may be observing the same insect.