Bee Killer Robber Fly vs Conops Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bee Killer Robber Fly Conops Fly
Scientific Name Mallophora bomboides Conops flavipes
Order Diptera Diptera
Family Asilidae Conopidae
Size 20-28 mm 8-12mm
Habitat Farmland Underground
Diet Herbivores Parasitoids
Regions Eastern United States from New England to Florida Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Bee Killer Robber Fly

A large fuzzy robber fly that closely resembles a bumble bee in both appearance and buzzing flight. It perches on vegetation and launches aerial attacks on passing insects.

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Did You Know?

Its bumble bee mimicry is so convincing that it can sit among real bees at flowers without being recognized as a predator.

Conops Fly

A wasp-mimicking fly with yellow legs and a narrow waist. Females parasitize adult bumblebees.

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Did You Know?

Chases bumblebees in flight and forcefully deposits an egg inside the bee's abdomen during a brief mid-air grapple.