Subject: Big black insect with clear, spotted wings
Location: Columbus, OH
July 19, 2013 8:20 pm
Saw two of these creatures on some potted flowers on my deck tonight. I’m in Columbus, OH – photo taken in the evening of July 19, 2013. Very hot out, nearing the end of a week+ of 90-degree days. The body is about the length of a man’s thumbnail. Even with a steady and sometimes strong breeze, they never moved an inch. Would love to know what they are!
Signature: Emily
Dear Emily,
We believe we have identified your Bee Fly in the family Bombyliidae as a Tiger Bee Fly, Xenox tigrinus. This is a harmless species whose “Larva is a parasitoid of Carpenter Bees, Xylocopa” according to BugGuide.
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination