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Bombylius major - large bee-fly:
On a Primrose Wildflower Plant | Primula Vulgaris. The large bee-fly is a bee mimic - it resembles a small bumblebee.
The adult flies are striking and have a hairy body with long hairy legs and a characteristically long, slender tongue which they use for nectar retrieval whilst hovering beside a flower head.
Bombylius major larvae parasitise beetle larvae as well as the brood of solitary wasps and bees - another reason for its name.
The female has been seen to flick her eggs mid-air into the ground bees’ and wasps’ nests.
Author: Nigel Pugh
All rights reserved Nigel Pugh
Photo size: 6.9 Mpixels (19.7 MB uncompressed) - 3214x2143 pixels (10.7x7.1 in / 27.2x18.1 cm at 300 ppi)
Photo keywords: bee, bee mimic, bombylius major, feeding, large bee-fly, primrose, primula vulgaris, wildflower