Categories

weird horsefly/bee?
Hello Bugman,
I am from Zanesville, Ohio (Southeastern Ohio) and we were enjoying a hot summer day around the pool. I found this guy flying around the house and tracked him down thinking it was just a horsefly that had gotten indoors, when I swatted him, I noticed that he was completely different. The creature has fly-like wings and head, but the rearend of a bee. It has two large thick yellow stripes with spikey black rings separating them. It was truly one of the weirdest insects I have ever seen. Do you have any idea what this is? I have looked online through the Ohio insects and have not seen ANYTHING close to this type of a fly, or bee for that matter. Can you help? Thanks so much.
DL

Hi D.L.,
This is a Tachinid Fly, and the genus is Belvosia. Sorry, but BugGuide does not divide the genus into different species and there is no common name. Tachinid Flies in the family Tachinidae are important biological contols of many plant eating species because the larvae are parasitic on a variety of insects and arthropods, with caterpillars being most common. The female fly lays her eggs inside the host and the larvae devour the caterpillar from within, pupating inside the host, and emerging as adult flies.

Related Posts

1. Tachinid Fly Pupae (December 26, 2007)
2. Unidentified Australian Tachinid Fly (January 22, 2007)
3. Tachinid Fly (February 8, 2009)
4. Tachinid Fly (June 6, 2009)
5. Tachinid Fly: Uramya indita (August 4, 2009)