Subject: Bumblebee mimic preying on my honeybee
Geographic location of the bug: East Texas
Date: 08/08/2022
Time: {current_time} EDT
Your letter to the bugman:
Hello. Could you please identify this bug for me? It looks a lot like a bumblebee, but I could tell by its eyes and wings that it is not. It seemed to have killed one of my honeybees. Should I be concerned about the rest of my 2 hives if honeybees from these predators?
How you want your letter signed: Thank you for your help!
This is a large Robber Fly in the family Asilidae, most likely a Bee Killer in the genus Mallophora, however we cannot be certain because your creative post production manipulation to eliminate distractions in the background also eliminated the antennae detail. You can see images of species in the genus on BugGuide. The most likely candidate appears to be Mallophora fautrix, a species that preys upon Yellowjackets and Paper Wasps as well as Honey Bees. You will likely experience some losses to your worker bees, however these native predators play an important place in the food chain and they should not be viewed as a threat to your honey production.