The Honeybees that were getting all excited by the crocuses last weekend shared the flowers with another insect, one which I'd lay a fair bet is also present in your garden - the Drone-fly Eristalis tenax.

Here is one of them slurping away, mopping up crocus pollen with its sticky tongue.

It is a type of hoverfly - note the funny little antennae on the front of its face, quite different to the sticky-up antennae on top of a bee's head.

This is a very typically marked Drone-fly, with two orange lozenges almost meeting on its abdomen, although dome Drone-flies are all dark and in some the orange markings are more extensive.

And it does look very bee-like, and for good reason - predators will leave alone anything that looks like a stinging insect, even though the Drone-fly is harmless. The name Drone-fly is because it most resembles a male - or drone - Honey Bee.

There are several similar species of Drone-fly, some of which may also visit your garden, but this one can be told by its dark legs, and it is the one most likely to be seen this early in the year. Its young are called rat-tailed maggots and live in the mud of nutrient-rich pools and puddles.

So have a look for a Drone-fly in your flowerbeds the next time the sun is out - successive generations are likely to be around your garden right through until autumn, so it can be a great benchmark for comparing other insects you might see.