Grey fuzzy fly or bee
July 13, 2009
Saw this fella in the Okanagan, B.C. It didn’t seem to make any noise and wasn’t worried about me at all. I’ve never seen anything like it, I’m very curious if you can id it for me.
Donna Dean
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bee Fly
Dear Donna,
This is a Bee Fly in the family Bombyliidae, Subfamily Bombyliinae and Tribe Bombyliini, but we are uncertain of the genus or species. BugGuide has several possibilities. There is a photo posted of Bolbylius incanus from Maryland that looks similar. There is a photo of a mating pair from Washington that looks similar, and there are three photos of Anastoechus barbatus from Wisconsin that look very similar. If you are satisfied with just general identification, we can tell you that Bee Flies feed on nectar as adults, and as larvae they feed in immature beetles, bees, wasps, butterflies, moths or the eggs of grasshoppers depending upon the species, according to BugGuide.
Bee Fly
¶ Posted 13 July 2009 § ‡ ° bee like insect
Sat, Apr 4, 2009 at 1:13 PM
Found him sitting on the washing line. Sat there with his wings buzzing for ages. Smaller than a bee. paler in colour. Saw him on the 31st March. ….
Jill Cotter
London, east finchley
Greater Bee Fly
Hi Jill,
What a noble pose you have captured on this Greater Bee Fly. This species has an extensive range that includes most of North America and Europe.
¶ Posted 05 April 2009 § ‡ ° Never seen this Insect before
Sun, Mar 29, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Got these photos at work. the bug was just sitting there. Someone said it was a bee, but I didn’t think so. Sorry about the quality of the second one.
Brian Lee
Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
Greater Bee Fly
Hi Brian,
What a great photo of Bombylius major, the Greater Bee Fly. This species if found in most of the U.S. and Canada as well as Europe. You can read more about this species on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 31 March 2009 § ‡ ° Insect on summer flower
Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 1:01 PM
This flying insect was photographed taking nectar from a late summer flower. The most interesting thing is the way it has folded it’s body almost at a ninety degee angle. Photograph was taken about the middle of August. I have no idea of what this is.
Norm Carl
northeastern Illinois
Scaly Bee Fly
Hi Again Norm,
This is a Bee Fly in the genus Lepidophora, possibly the Scaly Bee Fly, Lepidophora lepidocera. The hump back shape is distinctive for the genus. BugGuide represents two species in the genus and both are found in Illinois. The other species is Lepidophora lutea and BugGuide indicates: “Hunch-backed shape is shared with L. lutea . In L. lepidocera , the pale scales are white or pale yellow, and usually no pale scales are evident on the fourth abdominal segment. Also note fringe at end of abdomen.”
¶ Posted 22 October 2008 § ‡ ° What is this ?
Hello,
I saw this bug in our garden today. I am in the UK and have never seen anything like it before. It was moving like a humming bird, but does not look like any of the pictures of a hummingbird moth I could find anywhere else.
Thanks
John
Hi John,
After reading your letter, we were pleasantly surprised that upon opening the image, it was not a Hummingbird Moth, but a Bee Fly in the family Bombyliidae.
¶ Posted 22 April 2006 § ‡ ° Pollinator fly
Hello!
I found your site while trying to ID a pollinator fly I observed at 2100m on the Serra dos Orgaos mountains in Rio de Janeiro state, SE Brazil. Here’s a picture, I’m hoping you can help.
Thanks,
Fernando Rivadavia
Hi Fernando,
This is a Bee Fly in the Family Bombyliidae. We can’t give you an exact species. Bee Flies are furry stout bodied flies that resemble Bumble Bees. Many species have very elongated beaklike mouthparts which your underside view shows nicely. They feed on flower nectar by hovering motionless and drinking from that elongated beak.
¶ Posted 10 December 2005 § ‡ ° What’s this fly?
Hi,
I have sent you a couple of pics a while back and I believe I have found the names of two of the three unknown; a yellow jacket and a bald face hornet. I have not found the name of this little fly yet. I am sending three pictures of this little creature that let me observe it while it was collecting pollen from Aster flowers. It let me get real close; my macro gear needs to be 8-9 inches from the subject for a picture like the face shot. I landed on your site while I was searching for names of insects I observed; it’s now in my favorites and I visit it on a daily basis to see the new posts. I hope you can identify this little fly.
Guy Côté
Montréal, Qc.
Hi Guy,
Sorry to have not answered your first letter. On busy days we get as many as 50 letters and can only answer about four or five. We choose at random. This is a Large Bee Fly in the genus Bombylius. Adults drink nectar and larva is a parasite in the nest of solitary bees.
¶ Posted 30 September 2005 § ‡ ° 
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