Bombyliid Sp.

This is a bee fly from the family Bombyliidae. The diet of the adult generally consists of nectar and pollen. The larva is a parasitoid of other insects. The female lays her eggs near the vicinity of beetles or solitary bees and wasps, making it easier for the larvae to infect the host. Unlike butterflies and moths, bee flies cannot retract their proboscis. There are currently more than 4,500 known species. 

Order: Diptera
Family: Bombyliidae

Photograph: © 2011 RKD Peterson
Date of Photograph: 7 August 2011
Location: Montana, Gallatin Co.