A Bee Fly

October 10, 2014October 10, 2014 • michaelmarlow

bee fly feeding on black-eyed susan flower

A bee fly (family Bonbyliidae) feeds on a black-eyed Susan.

This is not a mosquito. It’s a bee fly (Family Bombyliidae), which I believe gets its name from its parasitic relationship to bees. Have a good weekend, everybody out there.

4 thoughts on “A Bee Fly”

Jardin says:

October 10, 2014 at 1:40 pm

Have a good weekend yourself!

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1. michaelmarlow says:
  
  October 10, 2014 at 5:12 pm
  
  Thanks, Lorna!
  
  On Fri, Oct 10, 2014 at 1:40 PM, BugPhoto.net wrote:
  
  >
  
  Reply
Lisa Vankula-Donovan says:

October 12, 2014 at 6:17 am

Wow!!! GREAT capture. And I would have thought it was a mosquito.

Reply
1. michaelmarlow says:
  
  October 12, 2014 at 7:49 am
  
  Thanks! I think the telling features are the eyes — mosquitoes seem to have smaller, more “bedazzled” eyes — and the antennae, which are pretty short and sleek; skeeter antennae seem more spindly and hairy (and the males of course have the bush glam rock style).
  
  Reply