This robust and highly adaptable dipteran displays a remarkable Batesian mimicry, closely resembling the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) to deter potential predators. Adults typically measure between 12 and 15 millimeters in length. Their bodies are covered with dense, yellowish-brown to black pubescence. The abdominal tergites exhibit distinctive bands ranging from bright orange to deep bronze, with pattern variations influenced by temperatures during the pupal stage. A key diagnostic feature is the presence of two vertical bands of dense dark hair on its large, dark brown compound eyes. Their wings are transparent, characterized by a highly diagnostic loop in the R4+5 vein and a faint longitudinal false vein (veina spuria). The hind legs feature noticeably flattened and slightly curved tibiae, mostly dark brown or black with lighter yellow joints.

Geographical distribution: It exhibits an exceptionally wide, cosmopolitan distribution, having successfully established populations in almost every biogeographical realm, except for Antarctica. Originally native to the Palearctic region, it has been extensively introduced and naturalized across North America, South America (ranging from high Andean valleys to southern Patagonia), Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand). This global presence is largely a result of human commerce and the insect´s profound ecological plasticity.

Habitat: It is a highly synanthropic and generalist species. Adults are frequently observed in a variety of terrestrial habitats rich in floral resources, such as urban gardens, agricultural fields, flowering meadows, forest edges, and disturbed ruderal areas. Conversely, the immature stages are strictly aquatic or semi-aquatic, requiring highly eutrophic water bodies rich in decaying organic matter. Larvae thrive in environments that would be toxic to most other organisms, including septic tanks, manure lagoons, agricultural runoff ditches, sewage treatment ponds, and stagnant muddy pools.

Feeding: As adults, they are obligate florivores, relying heavily on nectar and pollen from a wide variety of plant families, particularly Asteraceae, Rosaceae, and Apiaceae, which makes them highly effective and economically important pollinators. In stark contrast, the larval stage is microphagous and saprophagous. The larvae act as filter feeders, using specialized mouthparts to strain bacteria, yeasts, algae, and fine organic detritus from the turbid, oxygen-depleted liquid environments they inhabit.

Behavior: They are renowned for their extraordinary hovering capabilities, maintaining a perfectly stationary position in mid-air before darting away with sudden, high-speed maneuvers. Males are intensely territorial, establishing aerial vantage points near flowering patches or suitable oviposition sites to aggressively chase away rival males and other insects. To survive harsh winter conditions, adults from late autumn generations enter a state of reproductive diapause or hibernation, seeking shelter in rock crevices, hollow trees, caves, and human structures like attics, barns, or cellars.

Reproduction: The reproductive cycle begins with aerial courtship, after which the fertilized female is drawn by strong olfactory cues toward water sources enriched with decomposing organic matter. She deposits clusters of small, elongated, chalky-white eggs on damp substrate or organic debris just above the water level. Upon hatching, the larvae, commonly known as rat-tailed maggots, enter the water. They possess a highly specialized, telescopic breathing tube (the siphon) at the posterior end of the abdomen, which can extend up to 10 to 15 centimeters to reach the water´s surface. This allows them to breathe atmospheric oxygen while their body remains submerged in highly anoxic muck. After undergoing three larval instars, they crawl out of the water to pupate in drier soil or under decaying leaf litter, forming a hardened, grayish-brown, capsule-like puparium from which the adult eventually emerges.

Conservation status: It has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN Red List. Due to its cosmopolitan distribution, high tolerance for anthropic habitat modifications, and stable global populations, it is considered a species of least concern in terms of conservation. It faces no immediate threats of decline and is often abundant in both natural and highly modified human landscapes.