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FliesHelp
I’m having trouble identifying this bee? It was photographed in Cook county Illinois yesterday. I am a volunteer with the restoration of the Grassland Prairie in Orland Park called Orland Grassland. Thank you for any help you can give me.
Suzanne Koglin
Hi again Suzanne,
You cannot identify your bee because it is not a bee. Eric Eaton has corrected us on the Family here. He says it “is actually a bee fly of some sort (family Bombyliidae).” Bee Flies, are true flies and friends of the gardener. Most species have larva which parasitize beetle larvae, wasps, bees and other burrowing insects. Adults are often seen hovering near flowers which they pollinate. Many species mimic bees and wasps as a defense mechanism. Flies have two wings while bees and wasps have four.
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