progressive bee fly

Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
Order: Diptera (flies, sometimes true flies)
    di = two and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
    The name refers to the fact that flies have only two wings.
Family: Bombyliidae (bee flies)
Species: undetermined
Common Name: progressive bee fly (general)
Date: 2001 June through August (more later in season)
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    along the trails, more in open areas with sunlight

Bees flies are generally stout-bodied, hairy flies that, because of their behavior - they are often found on flowers - and appearance, remind one of bees. Indeed, they are important pollinators. Bee flies usually fly close to the ground and can often be found resting on the bare ground. Sometimes they can be seen hovering the holes of ground-nesting bees. Bee fly larvae (juveniles) are parasitic on the young of various other insects. Some are parasitic on ground-nesting bees.

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Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.