Mimicry fascinates me. I'm especially taken with the insects that mimic wasps and bees, and there are many that do. Hover flies, or syrphids are tops amongst the Hymneopteran mimics. At the FWG, we have several species of Syrphids who mimic bumblebees (Bombus). This one puzzled me at first. I knew it was a Syrphid, but not sure which genus to put it in. I saw it had plumose antennae, however, which would suggest a Volucella sp. I sent if off to Heather, a grad student at Carleton studying Syrphids and she confirmed it was indeed Volucella, and probably V. bombylans. If it is this species, then it lays its eggs in yellowjacket nests.