Robber Fly
October 8, 2009
I believe this is a robber fly but would like to get your expert opinion. I have not seen one with green eyes.
m zapata
Flower Mound, Denton County, Texas

Hanging Thief

Dear m zapata,
Yes, this is a Robber Fly.  We are nearly certain it is a Hanging Thief in the genus Diogmites.  Though it does not look like an exact match, it does resemble Diogmites discolor which is pictured on BugGuide.  We will check with Eric Eaton to see if he can identify the species.  Your photos are stunning and this is an exquisite creature.

Hanging Thief

Update from Eric Eaton
Daniel:
No, I don’t know robber flies that well, but if it is not a species of Diogmites then it is certainly a closely-related genus.
Eric

More on the Belzebul Robber Fly
August 20, 2009
These photos were taken today, Aug. 20th. These flies are still in our yard (first spotted on Aug. 6th), still hanging out among the crepe myrtle trees. I never did spot any fly eggs, but they certainly may be on the trees or grass. I think this is one of the robber flies with what appears to be a honeybee as prey. Sorry the photo isn’t very clear. The flies zip away if I get very close with the camera. This one flew away, prey and all. One fly is the gigantic one, and we have several that are smaller but seem to be the same species.
I read with interest the information cited about the robber flies; we don’t have any barnyards near, but we do have a creek bed behind us with tall sedges and grasses, and we are on the edge of town with extensive cow pastures/brushy areas beginning one block away. Love your website!
Ellen
Coryell County, Texas, where it is HOT and we’re in drought conditions

Bee Killer Kills Bee

Hi Ellen,
There are at least 3 different species of Bee Killers in the genus Mallophora that live in Texas, and though your previous submission was identified by us as a Belzebul Bee Eater, we believe this specimen to be a Southern Bee Killer, Mallophora orcina, based on the coloration of the beard and abdomen as depicted on BugGuide.

Follow0up
Possible Young Belzebul Bee Eater or Something Else?
August 20, 2009
I’m not sure if this is a young Belzebul Bee Eater or not. I’m sending two photos of the original gigantic Belzebul (8-6-09) and a new photo of one of the smaller flies I’m seeing around the yard (8-20-09). The eyes and antennae seem the same, but the smaller insects have yellow hair on the abdomens and not as much black hair on the legs.
I sent some photos earlier today of one of these smaller flies with honeybee prey.
I had a thought about the eggs also. Although we don’t have a compost pile or barnyard, we do have mulch in all of the gardens. We may be hatching Belzebul eggs as well as a myriad of spiders, caterpillars and beetles.
It’s summertime and the living is easy but it’s very hot. Thanks.
Ellen
Coryell County, Central Texas

Southern Bee Killer

Hi Ellen,
This confirms what we wrote back on the earlier email.  We believe this is a Southern Bee Killer.

Huge scary Mosquito like creature
August 12, 2009
Hi there,
We found this critter resting on the floor of our outside terrace. It looks positively dangerous…i had my husband put it in a tupperware for the meantime as it seems a bit risky to leave it flying around. I would say it stands approx 1 inch tall and 2 inches long and its spiky proboscis looks to be around 5mm long…It mostly black with a redish abdomen and a white marking between it’s eyes, its legs and thorax are hairy!…I just can’t get over how chunky it looks.
We live on the coast in Southern Mexico…hope you can identify it!! It’s life is in your hands!
Jenny
Zihuatanejo MEX

Robber Fly from Mexico: Archilestris magnificus

Hi Jenny,
We hope we are not too late to save the life of this majestic Robber Fly, Archilestris magnificus.  Robber Flies, though fierce predators, do not attack humans.  We would not go so far as to say that they will never bite, as they are capable of biting, and if carelessly handled, a Robber Fly might be inclined to bite out of self preservation. We received our first submission of this species last summer, and that image was also posted to BugGuide where it made quite a stir.  The species is now reported with some degree of frequency from Arizona.

Strange Wasp Flew into Home. Never Seen before!
August 7, 2009
Hello. I was recently helping move furniture out of my basement to help my sibling move out, and as I was returning through the door a massive dark bug flew in front of me and came inside. The bug was very large, about 2 inches long, and it made very loud buzzing. It landed on our ceiling lights, so we left the door open and turned off the lights hoping it would leave. Unfortunately, it decided to fly onto my mother, and fearing that it would sting her, we had to kill it with a shoe. Though the bug has been squished, I’m hoping I had reasonable cause to kill it and am hoping you can identify it. It had two wings, the body was entirely dark with no yellow, and the long abdomen was black with brown stripes. I have lived in Southeast Tennessee for 10 years and neither I nor my parents have ever seen a bug like this. Please let me know if you can figure it out!
VolFan89
Chattanooga, TN

Robber Fly Squished

Hi VolFan89,
This is a Robber Fly in the family Asilidae, and they do not routinely attack humans, though if carelessly handled or threatened, we suspect they might bite.  We fully understand your fear and the reaction that caused you to squish this Robber Fly with a shoe, and we intend no malice in our assessment of Unnecessary Carnage.  We do not intend to imply that you are evil because of your instinctive protective action, and we hope that this will educate you in the future should you ever again encounter a Robber Fly.  Robber Flies are important predators and they should not be killed.  We are trying to use caution in our choice of words because we have recently been accused of libel and malicious intent and defamation of character after performing a free public service and identifying dead insects that we thought were killed unnecessarily and then posting the responses.  It has always been our intent to educate people and not to chastise.

The querant responds
I just don’t see the necessity to “file it under Unnecessary Carnage”. You guys are creating this problem for yourself when you could just leave it well enough alone. A simple suggestion would suffice, such as saying “They aren’t typically a threat, so please refrain from killing them.” instead of making every single person look like a criminal. A large and scary looking insect on somebody you love is a well enough reason to kill it, and condemning somebody for it is not my idea of rightful. Unfortunately, I agree that you’re violating your 1st amendment rights and committing libel, but hopefully whoever is suing you has lawyers that can reveal it better than  I can.

“A large and scary looking insect on somebody you love is a well enough reason to kill it” is precisely the reason it needs to be filed under Unnecessary Carnage.  Just because something is scary looking does not mean it is harmful and if every scary looking thing is killed, there might soon be nothing left on the planet.  Some people might even be scary looking. Calling an act unnecessary is not a libelous statement. Criminal is your word, not our word.  While we maintain that we bear no malice towards people who kill insects because they don’t know any better, it seems as though the statement “Unfortunately, I agree that you’re violating your 1st amendment rights and committing libel, but hopefully whoever is suing you has lawyers that can reveal it better than I can” does contain a degree of ill will directed towards What’s That Bug?  It does give one pause to ponder just who bears malice toward whom.

Unnecessary Carnage Comment
August 9, 2009
RE: unnecessary carnage
I love your site, and visit it several times a day. Many thanks for posting such lovely images and so much information (you helped me ID a one-eyed Sphinx moth here in Seattle)! I also love the fact that you tell folks when they have committed an act of unnecessary carnage, but sadly, you have been very hesitant to do so lately… Please don’t let one or two unhinged people keep you from providing a vital service- letting humans know that insects are innocent until proven guilty!
Leah S.

E-gads, what’s this? Bucks County, PA
August 6, 2009
Hi Mr. Bugman. I’m a mom of 2 and had just strapped my kids into their seats today – August 6th – when I noticed this who-knows-what-kinda-bug on my dashboard. It was a little less than an inch long and was near my a/c vent. It didn’t appear to want to fly anywhere and didn’t seem agitated but the close-up of it made me think of the movie, “The Fly”!
I drove home and had forgotten about it. Now I’m wondering 3 things: What is it? How did the poor thing get in our minivan (and how can it get out?!) ? And is it at all harmful?
Thanks so much! LOVE your site! And best of luck on the book
Sharon
Bucks County, PA (35 miles north of Philadelphia)

Hanging Thief

Hi Sharon,
This awesome Robber Fly is known as a Hanging Thief.  It probably entered your minivan the same way you did, through the door, or perhaps through an open window.  It can leave the same way.  We haven’t heard any reports of people being bitten by Hanging Thieves or other Robber Flies, but they do bite their prey and it is entirely possible if a person mishandles one of them, the person may be bitten.  There is a big difference between “will it bite” and “can it bite” and we would say that it is not inclined to bite, but it might bite.  Your photos are amazingly wonderful.