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Photo#182427
Fuzzy Stinger Face - Bombylius major

Fuzzy Stinger Face - Bombylius major
Potter Hollow, Albany County, New York, USA
May 13, 2008
Size: less than 1/2 inch
This was in my home. Never seen anything like it before. When it was flying it looked a lot like a miniature hummingbird.

It has two toned wings, black and clear. Black toward the front and clear toward the bottom. Top=half of wing toward head when they are wingspaned.

It is fuzzy. The fuzziness looks a lot like a pipecleaner.

Unfortunately it creeped me out too much to capture and set free. This is an image of it after a light thumping with a book the long straw feature on the face was very intimidating to me. Please help me know what this was.
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I think this is the white spe
I think this is the white species B. anthophilus.

Moved
Moved from Flies.

ID
Bombylius major.

Thanks, and I agree it is sad
Thanks, and I agree it is sad. Since they eat pollen and behave like bees, are they dying off like bees?

 
Dunno, but think they're OK.
I'm seeing a lot of them this year, and many are being posted at Bug Guide.

Too bad for you and the fly.
This was a harmless bee fly, and your description of it as "like a miniature hummingbird" is very appropriate.

More info here, plus Images on a related tab:http://bugguide.net/node/view/185

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