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Bee Fly

Bombylius medius

Photo by injica
Published on Project Noah
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45.0679, 13.649

Field Notes

Description:

All species in the genus Bombylius share a similarity with the unrelated bees and bumblebees, which they mimic, possessing a thick coat of fur, with a colour ranging from yellow to orange. They can, however, be told apart from their models by the long and stiff proboscis they possess, used for probing for nectar as they fly (much like a hummingbird), by their rapid and darting flight, and by the peculiar structure of their legs. As larvae, they are parasitic and infest the nests of solitary bees, consuming their food stores and grubs

Habitat:

Native to: Palaearctic, Near East, North Africa.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (4)

I love fury round things too ;)
Tnx, not the perfect photo though, it is still a bit blur, this time I didn't have enough patience to wait for them to land finally ;) Here on the coast everybody is hardworking not a single moment of tranquilizing, with major it was easier http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/21422014
Great action shots. I photographed a Bee Fly this weekend, but I had to wait until it landed.

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