Beeflies !
Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2024 7:53 pm
The flies of the family Bombyliidae are collectively known
as Beeflies. Theirs is a large and cosmopolitan family which
comprises hundreds of genera and at present numbers at
least 4,500 species --- and counting. The greater number
of these flies resemble bees and they vary in size from as
little as 2mm to upwards of 40mm in length.
At rest, many species hold their wings at a characteristic
"swept back" angle. Adults generally feed on nectar and
pollen and often exhibit a straight proboscis which unlike
butterflies cannot retract. The life cycles of most species
are known poorly, or not at all.
This family is a group which I have ALWAYS had a passing
interest in. Most of my captures of these curious-looking
fellows amount to really just happenstance as most
species do not often appear in abundance. When compared
to other major groups of pollinators they are much less
likely to visit flowering plants in parks or suburban gardens.
In my limited experiance in searching for them I have found
them most attracted to "wild" flowers --- not the typical
mass produced ornamentals we as humans favor in our
plantings. It is in our wild spaces full of flowering variety
that one stands the BEST chance of finding/observing these
benign aerial acrobats.
Another of my "larger" examples at 22mm wingspan.
Some species of beeflies are VERY adept at quick movements
and (similar to dragonflies) they can hover, move laterally in
an instant, and are fast to exit if frightened.
As a result of their overall lack of abundance and "cautious"
habits they remain arguably one of the most poorly known
families of insects relative to its species richness.
as Beeflies. Theirs is a large and cosmopolitan family which
comprises hundreds of genera and at present numbers at
least 4,500 species --- and counting. The greater number
of these flies resemble bees and they vary in size from as
little as 2mm to upwards of 40mm in length.
At rest, many species hold their wings at a characteristic
"swept back" angle. Adults generally feed on nectar and
pollen and often exhibit a straight proboscis which unlike
butterflies cannot retract. The life cycles of most species
are known poorly, or not at all.
This family is a group which I have ALWAYS had a passing
interest in. Most of my captures of these curious-looking
fellows amount to really just happenstance as most
species do not often appear in abundance. When compared
to other major groups of pollinators they are much less
likely to visit flowering plants in parks or suburban gardens.
In my limited experiance in searching for them I have found
them most attracted to "wild" flowers --- not the typical
mass produced ornamentals we as humans favor in our
plantings. It is in our wild spaces full of flowering variety
that one stands the BEST chance of finding/observing these
benign aerial acrobats.
Another of my "larger" examples at 22mm wingspan.
Some species of beeflies are VERY adept at quick movements
and (similar to dragonflies) they can hover, move laterally in
an instant, and are fast to exit if frightened.
As a result of their overall lack of abundance and "cautious"
habits they remain arguably one of the most poorly known
families of insects relative to its species richness.