Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Bee Fly


Bee Fly on Mexican Heather
Winnie the Pooh searching for honey - that’s what I think of when I see this little insect that resembles a plush Teddy bear.  It’s a Bee Fly!  I spotted this fuzzy, golden critter hovering over the Mexican Heather blossoms, searching for nectar.  The purple Mexican Heather flowers, Cuphea hyssopifolia, are only about 1 cm in diameter,  so you can see that the Bee Fly is smaller still.  My books tell me that these tiny pollinators, family Bombyliidae, do not bite or sting, no matter how pointy they appear.  The long proboscis is designed for sipping nectar.  Bee Fly larvae are parasites of other garden insects such as ground nesting bees and beetles.   This was the first one I’d seen.  I think he is adorable.
Bee Fly on Mexican Heather
Bee Fly on Mexican Heather - doesn't he look soft?
Bee Fly:  Wheeee!  Coming in for a landing,  Note the ant peeking from the flower.
Bee Fly on Mexican Heather


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