Subject: Unknown flies
Geographic location of the bug: Nolan,Tx
Date: 10/19/2021
Time: 09:20 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: There was a paper wasp posted outside this hole so I assumed there was a nest inside. I am in the business of killing bugs, so I treated in the opening expecting wasps to come pouring out. To my surprise it was these flies. About 15 to 20 of them. I’ve never seen this species before.
How you want your letter signed: Scott
Dear Scott,
These are crazy looking Flies and the circumstances surrounding their discovery in a hole seem quite specific, but alas, Daniel’s initial perfunctory search turned up nothing. Daniel must attend to some personal matters at this time and he will return to do additional research into the identity of these interesting flies. Perhaps one of our readers will have some luck and write in with a comment.
They look to me a lot like some kind of hover fly (Syrphidae). Some hover flies are associated with wasp nests as larvae but these ones look like they might be closer to examples I’ve found that are supposed to feed on rotting wood. Could it be a defunct nest and the hover fly larvae were feeding on the left-over paper?
Thanks for your input Christopher. We will investigate this.