Beeflies - Bombyliidae

The typical beefly is brown and furry with spindly legs and an unwieldy looking proboscis ('tongue') that does not retract. They frequent sunny spots with plenty of flowers, hovering in front of nectar sources and neatly inserting their long proboscis. They are generally quite large flies, sometimes with an audible buzz, so people notice them regularly. Many entomologists have a soft spot for them because they are a fly that can be presented to the general public in an entirely positive manner - they have the requisite cute and cuddly look and they are fun to watch. They don't sting or bite, or spread disease and are good pollinators.

The most common and well known beefly is the early spring species the Dark Edged Beefly Bombylius major, but there are other common species that do not have the long proboscis and are darkly and dramatically patterned, especially on the wings. Most species are parasites of solitary bees and can often be observed cruising slowly over sunny patches of bare earth, searching for bee nest holes. They will pick up sand on the tip of the abdomen and then flick it and their eggs into the bee nests whilst hovering over a suitable site.

If you have seen a beefly and would like it identified you can post photos on the Diptera.info forum, where there are a couple of beefly experts who respond to questions regularly. Your photos need to be in focus and give close detail, as many beeflies are difficult to identify. The photo below, for instance, is not good enough to even be sure of the genus, much less give a species name.

A typical beefly, photographed in Preuilly-sur-Claise, May.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:
All photos will enlarge in a new window if you click on them. Row 1 Left & centre Bombylius venosus. Right Villa hottentotta.














More information:

Species account for Anthrax anthrax.
Species account for Dark Edged Beefly Bombylius major.