LAPHRIA, A LARGE BEE-LIKE FLY

Mark Schreader / Special to TamaquaArea.com
Mark Schreader / Special to TamaquaArea.com

Pictured are a few photos taken recently of a Laphria fly, a bee-like robber fly, preying on a bumblebee. Photos are from Mark Schreader of Palo Alto (Schuylkill County, PA).
The adults average sizes reach 15–25 millimetres (0.59–0.98 in). These huge robber flies are quite hairy, their body is usually black, while the bee-mimicking abdomen shows black and yellow stripes. They can be encountered from July through September.
They generally prey on insects of various species, including other robber flies, bees, wasps and beetles. Their characteristic mouth allow the species of Laphria to penetrate their sclerotized proboscis in between the elytra of preyed beetles. All the preys are dissolved by special enzymes injected in their bodies, which are then sucked out by the predator.
Information above courtesy of Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laphria_(fly)

All Photos by Mark Schreader:

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.