365 project - #91
Nikon D80, 18-135mm @135mm, f9, 1/500, ISO200
Rogue daffodils in the ditch behind our apartment, on the edge of the woods!
While setting up to take some pics, a bee fly (Bombyliidae, perhaps Bombylius major?) visited the flower, and I managed to snap one, out of focus, shot of it before it darted away. I'm pretty fond of bee flies, but I'm not entirely sure why :P
Bee flies are kinda neat in that some of them quite nicely resemble bees; though, by no stretch of the imagination do they all. However, they do tend to visit flowers, like bees, so that may be part of the rationale. They tend to be somewhat stocky bodied and some have a long, forward projecting proboscis (they can't bite you), and their wings are help off to the side, resembling delta-winged fighter jets at rest. Many species are somewhat fuzzy, like bumblebees, and many have coloured wings... you can see the dark forward portion in this one's wings. They're incredibly quick and agile fliers, rapidly darting around and hovering in place, much like a hover fly (Syrphidae).
While the adults tend to be flower feeders, their larvae are parasitic of other insects. I've observed some species on open pathways zooming around looking for spider or ant holes; when they find them, they will actually use their hind legs to throw an egg down the hole to parasitize the inhabitants. Freakin' neat :P
Bonus cropped pic of a bumble bee with heavy mite load I shot today
