HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Previous events

Solitary and/or predatory bees

This might be a question in the wrong place but I have no image of this particular insect for ID. I live in Wayne County, North Carolina and, while walking my dog, I have seen what, to me, looks like a large black bee flying around. I have stood and watched it and found out that it is actually "hawking" for smaller insects. Typically, even though I have my camera with me, it won't settle anywhere so all I have is a picture in my mind of a large black bee, with a body diameter around 10-20mm. Due to the speed of its flight, all I can see is a shiny, black ball moving back and forth across the wind, obviously hunting by sight, and occasionally darting off to try and catch a smaller flying insect. A failure to catch anything and it is back on station moving back and forth across the wind, hunting again.

Does my description spark any ideas in anybody's mind?

login or register to post comments · previous forum topic · next forum topic

Contributed by Mike Hill on 10 May, 2013 - 12:56pm

Thanks to everyone who has pu

Thanks to everyone who has pushed names at me and my thick head. ;o)
I did get a view of one of these insects from the side yesterday and was able to see some yellow fur on it. I still am not able to ID it properly since I have yet to find one settled anywhere. However, Robber Fly is probably right and I may have to try and capture one somehow and get it into my kiddies bug box for a photo.

… Mike Hill, 12 May, 2013 - 10:29am

login or register to post comments

No predators

There are no known predatory bees in North America. Most bees eat pollen. Three species of Trigona from Central and South America eat carrion.

… John F. Carr, 10 May, 2013 - 9:32pm

login or register to post comments

Bee Mimic Flower Fly

Maybe Eristalis anthophorina or E. flavipes. Also Mallota bautias or M. posticata. All are flower flies (Syrphidae).

Also you could try robberflies (Asilidae), Laphria species.

All of them look like bumblebees with some 'fur' on them.

You didn't specify that it looked like a bumblebee, so for other black bees, try some of the other robberflies without fur.

… Lee Penner, 10 May, 2013 - 1:40pm

login or register to post comments

Thanks Lee, I think not a Rob

Thanks Lee, I think not a Robber Fly because the body of the ones I have seen is, perhaps, bumblebee like in that it is ball shaped and not very elongated. I am only seeing these from downwind and hence only seeing it from the back. The image in my mind is, as I said, a shiny black ball around 10-20mm in diameter, so quite large. Probably I should have mentioned bumblebee shaped although the size of those in question appear to be larger than bumblebees that I know.

… Mike Hill, 10 May, 2013 - 2:03pm

login or register to post comments

Not all Robber Flies are elongated :)

… Ken Wolgemuth, 10 May, 2013 - 2:53pm

login or register to post comments

Another possibility...

...is that it was not actually attacking other insects, but merely investigating them. A male Carpenter Bee will hover in place, then dart out to investigate passing insects that may be potential mates (or rivals).

… Ken Wolgemuth, 10 May, 2013 - 2:57pm

login or register to post comments

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version

Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact