Greater Bee Fly vs Apache Cicada

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Greater Bee Fly Apache Cicada
Scientific Name Bombylius canescens Diceroprocta apache
Order Diptera Hemiptera
Family Bombyliidae Cicadidae
Size 10-14 mm 30-40 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Root Feeders
Regions Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Greater Bee Fly

A pale greyish bee fly with a long proboscis and clear wings. It parasitizes ground-nesting bees in arid Mediterranean habitats.

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Did You Know?

It can hover motionless in the air for extended periods while probing flowers with its rigid proboscis.

Apache Cicada

A large green and brown cicada that sings loudly in the Sonoran Desert heat. Nymphs spend years underground feeding on root sap of desert trees.

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Did You Know?

It can sing at temperatures exceeding 46 degrees Celsius by using evaporative cooling through its body.