Blotch-winged Bee Fly

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

Blotch-winged Bee Fly

April 13, 2016 by Mike Powell

Is it a bee? Is it a fly? It’s a Blotch-winged Bee Fly (Bombylius pulchellus). What?

I spotted this bee fly Monday afternoon at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia and I have to say that it is one of the strangest insects that I have ever seen—it looks like Doctor Frankenstein pieced together an insect from the parts of other insects.

Its fuzzy body looks a bit like that of a bee and it has a similar proboscis, though the bee fly’s proboscis is outrageously long and looks a lot like it could be a stinger. Its long, spindly legs, however, are not bee-like and remind me of certain types of flies. The patterned wings and the way that it hovers are reminiscent of a hummingbird moth, though the bee fly is considerably smaller.

The helpful folks on bugguide.net were able to identify this insect for me and you can see shots by others of this type of bee fly at this link. I can’t find much information about this particular species, but the Bombyliidae apparently is a whole family of flies that feed on nectar and pollen.

Posted in Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, bee fly, Blotch-winged Bee Fly, Bombylius pulchellus, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 14 Comments

14 Responses

on April 13, 2016 at 10:03 am | Reply Sally Morris

Here’s the question: Does it use the Bee lavatory or the Fly lavatory??????
on April 13, 2016 at 12:28 pm | Reply afrenchgarden

I believe they lay or drop their eggs in bee larvae to reproduce; their larvae consuming the larvae of the bees. 😦 But great photo. Amelia
on April 13, 2016 at 12:28 pm | Reply Oak Creek Whitetail Ranch

Very nice. I always like finding a new species that I have not seen before. Great photo also.
- on April 13, 2016 at 8:32 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks for the kind words. I try to be alert to new creatures that I can photograph, though I love to photograph the familiar ones too.
  - on April 14, 2016 at 9:45 am Oak Creek Whitetail Ranch
    
    Me too, but it always adds something special to remember for me when I find something new. I catch myself thinking back to days like that all the time as I go through my photos.
on April 13, 2016 at 2:26 pm | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Great shot! I don’t just appreciate it for the aesthetics either; I also appreciate the educational value of your photo as I have never seen such a beastie. I have never even heard of it. I love that I have visited your blog and learned something new.
on April 13, 2016 at 6:16 pm | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Interesting. I’ve never heard of or seen this one. If it’s a bee killer like Amelia says I hope I don’t see many. Our poor bees have enough trouble as it is.
on April 13, 2016 at 7:27 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Fun! I saw them for the first time last year and thought they were very interesting and fun to photograph. After researching them I learned they also can fly backwards!
- on April 13, 2016 at 8:29 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks for the additional information. I first encountered a bee fly of a different variety in a neighbor’s garden and was able to watch it fly and hover, much like a hummingbird. Here’s a link to my blog post on that encounter. https://michaelqpowell.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/bee-fly/
on April 13, 2016 at 10:17 pm | Reply krikitarts

Great find; great catch!
- on April 14, 2016 at 4:24 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary.
on April 14, 2016 at 12:27 am | Reply Jeremy Sell

Excellent find
- on April 14, 2016 at 4:24 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Jeremy.
on April 21, 2016 at 12:06 pm | Reply Sue

What a neat find. These little hover flies are fascinating to watch. I can’t imagine what a disadvantage it must be to fly around with this long sword on one’s nose, but tapping the nectar at the base of a flower must be worth it.