A Bee Fly?
July 30, 2009
Hello, I happened upon this little fellow in my back yard, we have a number of flowers but it preferred to sit on my steps. I dont know what it is but looks very similar to a Bee Fly thats been posted on your front page. These were shot with a Canon XSI with the 18-55mm kit lens. Very minor post processing, and just conversion to bw on 3rd image in photoshop.
Steve
Brooklyn NY
- Tiger Bee Fly
Hi Steve,
Though your image looks quite similar to the Bee Fly we recently posted, we believe your Bee Fly is a Tiger Bee Fly, Xenox tigrinus, based on the patterns and veins of the wings. Compare your photos to those on BugGuide.
- Tiger Bee Fly
bee fly, name for the small- to medium-sized flies of the family Bombyliidae, many of which resemble bees in appearance and behavior. This mimicry provides bee flies with some measure of protection against predators that have learned to avoid the sting of true bees. A bee fly has a stout, hairy body and long proboscis. In many species the body and wings are strikingly marked in yellow and brown. Most are very swift fliers and buzz loudly like a bee if caught in a net. They seek heat and are often found flying close to the ground in dry, sandy regions. The adults feed on nectar and hover above flowers like bees. The larvae feed on larvae or pupae of other insects; they are beneficial as parasites of harmful species. Beelike flies are also found in other families. The syrphid flies (family Syrphidae), also called hover flies and flower flies, are a large, cosmopolitan group of beelike and wasplike flies. Many syrphid flies bear a very close resemblance to a particular bee or wasp species. Many of the robber flies (family Asilidae) resemble bumblebees. All of these are true flies; they are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Diptera.
Thank you for the concise and thorough explanation.
I was bite or strung by a bug that looks a lot like this. It was on my hand. It hurt really bad. My hand swelled up. And 8 hours later my hand is still Swollen. And itches a lot. Do they have venom of any kind.
Tiger Bee Flies do not bite nor sting. It must have been something else. Since Bee Flies mimic stinging insects, we would guess you were stung by a Wasp.