Bee Killers, Hanging Thieves and other Robber Flies
rss red footed cannibalfly
Location: southwest ohio
August 12, 2010 10:58 pm
i saw this last year and thanks to your website, and having it the bug of the month, i know what it is now! this was taken last week of august 2009.
BIBEF
Red Footed Cannibal Fly
Hi again BIBEF,
We are happy to hear you were able to identify your Red Footed Cannibal Fly thanks to our Bug of the Month posting. It appears to be eating a Bumble Bee.
Robber Fly
Location: Mayfield, KY
August 8, 2010 2:13 pm
I know I have identified my bug as a robber fly, but it is not the red footed one chosen for the month of August. I have a set of pictures I’d like to share of the robber fly I found on the bush near my house. In the second photo, I noticed a lot of tiny life. There is some kind of larvae near his one foot where he is hanging on the plant. There are oleander aphids visible also. I thought the pictures showed a lot of detail on the robber fly. He looks positively wicked!
Hope you enjoy them.
Janet Fox
Hanging Thief devours Honey Bee
Hi Janet,
This magnificent Robber Fly is a Hanging Thief in the genus Diogmites, and they are called Hanging Thieves because of their habit of hanging, often from a single leg, while consuming their prey. We found a photo on BugGuide that matches your specimen, but it is not identified to the species level. We hope our continued searching will provide a species name for your formidable predator. We thought that the abdominal markings might be an identifying feature, but browsing through the Diogmites species on BugGuide revealed too many possibilities that look similar for us to attempt a species classification.
Hanging Thief
Ed. Note: August 9, 2010
It is really impossible for our small staff to respond to all queries, and we were searching older letters for something, and we came across this email from Janet prior to the email above. We would like to remind our readership that if you do not get a response after a week, please resubmit your request with all relevant information and please reattach the image. DO NOT just send an email inquiring if we got your previous email because then we need to hunt through all unanswered mail. We apologize for our limitations.
Janet’s Original Request
Strange bug
Location: Mayfield, KY
July 31, 2010 8:27 pm
I have recently started on some nature photography. We have a bush next to our driveway that has a vine growing on it. I have found that the small white flowers on the vine is a host for many bugs. I was out there the other day and saw a very strange looking bug. It looked like a mutation of a dragonfly and a mosquito. I got a couple pictures of it, then focused on something else. Next time I looked for it, it was higher up the bush and had caught a honey bee. I watched as he stuck his needle nose into the neck area several times. Then he turned the bee around and stuck him in the hind end. Then he turned the bee around a couple more times, then stuck his straw nose into the back end to (I assume) drink his insides. I have looked up predatory insects and can not find this particular bug. Can you tell me what it is?
Sincerely, Janet Fox
Fly, Dragonfly, Bee Killer wasp?
Location: Bismarck, North Dakota
August 7, 2010 1:39 am
I took photos of this insect today. It originally flew around my flowering basil, mimicing the bees, going from flower to flower. Then I saw it grab a bumble bee, to eat it. I wrote about it on my blog today: http://sewartfullyminded.blogspot.com/2010/08/bee-fight-and-bee-killer.html
At first glance I wondered if it was a dragon fly because of the long tail, but it behaved differently. It is fuzzy like a bumble bee but has such huge eyes. I followed it taking photos. It didn’t seem to like that and tried to evade me. It landed on the grape leaf and as I continued to take photos it eventually retreated behind the leaf.
Doreen
Robber Fly eats Bee
Hi Doreen,
This adept predator is a Robber Fly in the family Asilidae, and we believe, due to its size, that it is in the subfamily Asilinae, but we haven’t the time to research the species at the moment. You may view some possibilities on BugGuide.
Robber fly
Location: Fairfield, Maine
August 3, 2010 9:40 pm
Dear Bugman,
I was taking photos of this Robber fly on my hammock stand, when it swooped at my face and caught a flesh fly (I think) right in front of me and landed back where I was photographing it to eat. I have checked BugGuide and believe this is female Efferia pogonias. Does it have a common name or nickname? Do you know what the little honey-colored sacs on its sides are? There is one between the wing and the behind the wing and the ”shoulder” of the hind-most leg. You can also see them looking down through the wings from the top.
Thanks
James R
Robber Fly eats fly
Hi James,
We cannot tell if the prey in your photo is a Flesh Fly, but it is definitely another Dipteran. You may be correct that this is Efferia pogonias based on images posted to BugGuide, but we believe, based on the shape of the tip of the abdomen, that this is a male. Perhaps someone with more experience can confirm. The vestigial wings you asked about are known as halteres, and they are primarily for balance according to the Orkin Fly Anatomy web page. According to BugGuide: “haltere noun, plural halteres. – two small knobbed appendages rising from each side of the thorax in the order Diptera just where the posterior pair of wings would arise were they present, and to which they are analogous. They tend to balance the insect in flight.“
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the I.D. and extra info!
I never would have guessed those were vestigial wings; What a cool feature.
Best regards,
James
bee predator
Location: mount washington, ky
August 2, 2010 12:50 pm
this is a picture of some sort of fly, i think, that was seen feeding on a bee. what is this?
thanks!
Red Footed Cannibalfly eats Bee
Greetings from Mt. Washington, Los Angeles, California,
This is the fourth image of a Red Footed Cannibalfly we posted in the last week.
Red Footed Cannibalfly?
Location: Central Indiana
August 2, 2010 10:15 am
My daughter snapped this photo of what we believe is a Red Footed Cannibalfly based on the information on this site. We live in the central part of Indiana. This photo was taken August 1, 2010. This guy was hanging out on our deck rail near our Sunflower plants. It appears as if he is having his lunch.
ajanisch
Red Footed Cannibalfly eats Hymenopteran
Hi ajanish,
Your letter excites us for numerous reasons. We are happy someone used a recent posting to correctly identify a previously unknown to them creature. We are also excited to get a second letter with an awesome Food Chain image of this gorgeous stealth hunter. We are also a bit proud that we were able to identify the image of the Red Footed Cannibalfly, Promachus rufipes, we posted this morning and the colorful common name was just the morale boost we needed before going off to a difficult day at work at the college. We wish we were proficient enough to identify the Hymenopteran prey. It is not a Honey Bee. Could it be a Yellowjacket? or a solitary Sand Wasp? Might it be a solitary Bee? Hopefully, a hymenopterist or a gifted amateur enthusiast will email the correct identification.
Ed. Note:
August 4, 2010
We apologize for losing track of time, and posting this Bug of the Month a few days late. There has been a flurry of submissions of Red Footed Cannibalflies in the past week, so it is a very appropriate selection.
Weird, Beautiful Dragonfly/Hornet
Location: Northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati, OH
August 1, 2010 1:46 pm
Dear Bugman,
I saw this über-fascinating alien bug yesterday, 7/31/10, in my yard. I’ve never seen anything even remotely like it. It was close to 3 inches long. Its head and thorax look like a dragonfly in shape. It has 2 matte black eyes, practically no antennae, and its head, thorax, and legs are fuzzy. It has a pair of very pale brown, nearly transparent wings that lay flat down its back like those of a wood cockroach.
Red Footed Cannibalfly
Its pale yellow and black striped tail is long, segmented, and straight, starting thick at the thorax and ending in a long black tip which I sincerely hope is an ovipositor. It looks like it has lost a portion of one of its front legs. Otherwise, it’s a beautiful specimen. I have many fabulous pics of it. I even caught it in flight! Can you help identify this weird beauty?
Ragdoll
Giant Robber Fly in flight
Dear Ragdoll,
You have taken excellent documentary photographs of a Giant Robber Fly in the genus Promachus. These Giant Robber Flies are also called Bee Killers because they prey upon bees and wasps that they are able to catch in flight. According to our Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders: “The Bee Killer often rests on leaves and branches with a clear view of flowers visited by Honey Bees. It seizes its victim from above, pierces its body and sucks out juices, then drops the emptied prey. A dozen or more bodies may pile up on the ground below a favorite perch.” Based on the red legs and dark tibiae, we believe your specimen is the Red Footed Cannibalfly or Bee Panther, Promachus rufipes, and you may compare your images to those posted to BugGuide. We also agree that that is an ovipositor, which makes her a female. You can compare your image to this photo on BugGuide. It is worth noting that generally, the name of an insect that is a compound word ending with “fly” is not a true fly, like a dragonfly or butterfly, and when the common name is formed of two words like Robber Fly or Crane Fly, the insect is a true fly. The Red Footed Cannibalfly is an exception, since the compound word is used for a true fly.
Red Footed Cannibalfly
Dear Daniel,
Thank you so much for the wonderful info. That is indeed my bug! Yesterday, I heard a loud, fast buzzing and spied another, much smaller one. I immediately assumed that it was a male. Oddly, the female made almost no sound when in flight.
I’m guessing that the Robber Fly probably doesn’t hang out much in the ‘city’. Perhaps this pair is just another casualty of a shrinking habitat. 
. I have large, lush flower beds that teem with bees, albeit only the rare ‘honeybee’. The female was perched on the fence railing overlooking the beds below, just like in your description.
Even though she doesn’t sound like a particulary ‘nice’ lady, I feel privileged that she’s come to pay a visit to my little patch of nature in the city. 
Thanks again for your prompt reply and fascinating insight. You all really go above and beyond. I suspect it is a true labor of love.
Regards,
Ragdoll
Dear Ragdoll,
Thanks for getting back to us. Now it is our turn to thank you. Your letter with its gorgeous photos prompted us to do the species search. Because of your posted letter, a second letter arrived today from Indiana. The person who wrote was able to properly identify the Red Footed Cannibalfly in question based on your excellent images. We were also prompted to check on a letter submitted on July 28 from Tennessee, and that time we only identified the Red Footed Cannibalfly to the genus level of Promachus. Because of your letter, we were able to take the identification to the species level Promachus rufipes.
Update
August , 2010
Wow! You guys made my day! I’m always taking pictures of everything nature, and it is so nice to find a place to share those images. I’m really enjoying your site and it gladdens my heart that there are people like you out there that truly believe in co-existing with nature and encourage knowledge and tolerance.
I’ve already learned so much, but I admit that I had to stop reading the ‘unecessary carnage’ section because it’s so heartbreaking. That horrible woman who killed all those beautiful moths!
I’m going to submit more images to you, in hopes that ou may find them interesting. You may well have created a monster….
We look forward to receiving any additional photographs you send to us, but since we have such a small staff, we are unable to post but a fraction of the mail we receive. Please do not give up should your emails go unanswered.
Baron von BugMan, the creator of monsters
Robber Fly Feeding
Location: North Middle Tennessee
July 28, 2010 9:38 am
Hi Daniel,
This big guy buzzed by this morning and landed in a nearby bush. I went inside to get the camera, thankfully it was still there when I returned. I thought you might like it for your food chain section. At first I thought it was feeding on a bumblebee but now I believe it may be a ”bee mimic robber fly”, not really sure. I was photographing a couple of robber flies yesterday that looked like this one except this one is maybe twice as large. So maybe this one is the Giant version. Thanks for all you do and have a great day.
Richard
Bee Killer eats Bumble Bee
Hi Richard,
You really are contributing some wonderful images to our website. It would seem you are well on your way to producing a guide book of insects from your area in Tennessee. We believe this is a Bee Killer, one of the Giant Robber Flies in the genus Promachus, based on images posted to BugGuide. The tiger stripe pattern on the abdomen is an identifying feature. Also, we are inclined to agree with your first impression that the prey is a Bumble Bee because it appears to have two wings on each side as opposed to a single pair of wings, a characteristic of the bee mimic Flies.
Ed Note: August 2, 2010
Today we identified a Red Footed Cannibalfly, and we realized that we now had a species identification on this beauty: Promachus rufipes.
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