Flower Fly Carnage

Subject: Is this a wasp or a bee?
Location: North Carolina
July 1, 2014 5:33 am
What kind of wasp or bee is this?
Signature: Devan Bodie

Flower Fly Carnage

Dear Devan,
This is neither a wasp nor a bee.  It is a harmless and beneficial Flower Fly or Hover Fly in the family Syrphidae, a family that contains many species that mimic stinging insects as you can see on BugGuide.  It appears in your image that this Flower Fly was recently squashed, and since they are harmless and beneficial, we are tagging this posting as Unnecessary Carnage.

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Location: North Carolina