Greater Bee Fly

Bombylius major

The Greater Bee Fly is a fuzzy little insect that looks like a bee! It loves to visit flowers and sip sweet nectar, helping plants grow while it feeds.

Hábitat: Grasslands

Aspecto

The Greater Bee Fly is a fuzzy, stout-bodied fly that strongly resembles a bumblebee with brown and yellowish hairs. It has a distinctive long, slender proboscis and clear wings with a prominent dark brown patch near the front edge. Its powerful flight allows it to hover gracefully.

ReinoAnimaliaFiloArthropodaClaseInsectaOrdenDipteraFamiliaBombyliidaeGéneroBombylius

Greater Bee Fly

Categoría

Insectos

Rareza

Common

Peligro

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Snaps

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Datos interesantes

Baby bee flies are carnivores and eat other insect larvae!

Despite looking like a bee, this fluffy insect cannot sting you!

It sometimes flies backwards, which is super rare for an insect!

They are great at pollinating many different types of wildflowers.

Habilidades especiales

Greater Bee Flies can hover perfectly still in mid-air, like a tiny helicopter, that helps them precisely sip nectar from flowers.

This fly mimics furry bees to trick predators into thinking it can sting, which helps it stay safe while foraging.

Greater Bee Flies have an extra-long proboscis (tongue) that helps them reach sweet nectar deep inside tubular flowers.

Female bee flies lay eggs near the nests of ground-nesting bees, where their larvae can secretly grow by eating the bee larvae.

Medidas y detalles

Envergadura: 18-25 mm
Tamaño: 10-14 mm
Esperanza de vida: 20-30 días
Velocidad de vuelo: 15 km/h
Cantidad de patas: 6

Dieta y alimentación

Adults drink sweet nectar from flowers, while their tiny larvae secretly snack on other insects.

Diferencias por edad: Adults feed on nectar and pollen; larvae are parasitoids, feeding on the larvae of solitary bees and wasps.

Alimentos principales

Nectar
Pollen

Método de búsqueda

Foraging

Conexiones ecológicas

pollinates

Wood Anemone

Anemone nemorosa

Adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen.

parasitizes

Ashy Mining Bee

Andrena scotica

Bee fly larvae feed on mining bee larvae in their nests.

parasitizes

Red Mason Bee

Osmia bicornis

Larvae also develop by consuming mason bee larvae.

Rasgos

Peludo

Peludo describe a los animales que poseen una cubierta densa de pelo o pelaje suave.

Social

Los animales sociales viven en grupos organizados, cooperando para obtener beneficios de supervivencia como la búsqueda de alimento, la defensa y la cría de descendencia.

Aéreo

Las criaturas aéreas pasan una parte importante de su vida en el aire, utilizando el vuelo para diversas actividades como la caza, la migración o la anidación.