Dark edged bee fly - Bombylius major - A parasitoid.

I photographed this using my Zfc camera, Nikon Z 105 macro, and SB900 hot shoe mounted flash.

OK - I'll admit it - not one of my better macro photos, however, it happens to have a few firsts that are worth noting.  It's the first decent shot I have gotten of a bee fly in the last few years - they are notoriously hard to photograph as they seldom hang around long enough to shoot.  It's one of the first shots with my Nikon Z system where I used an external flash instead of my wrong Canon ring flash I used for the last few days (see previous blogs).  And it's the first shot I have taken with my new system where I didn't have a significant case of frustration affecting me.

Bee flies are also known as humble flies - that's something I didn't know.  The adults flit around flowers taking nectar with that long needle-like proboscis protruding from the face and are important pollinators.  The larvae are a different breed as they feed on the larvae of solitary bees such as carpenter bees.  The bee fly larvae shares the burrow with its host.  As the carpenter bee approaches maturity, the bee fly larva predates it and eventually kills it, leaving the organs sustaining its life until last.

The bee fly larva is considered a parasitoid.  A parasite feeds on a host but does not kill it.  A parasitoid feeds on a host and eventually causes its death.  

Apparently we are in the last few weeks of their adult form; they will eventually die off after mating and leave their young to carry on the generation next year.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harjit Bahia - Science teacher and colleague from Garibaldi died August 2, 2024

Image
You will be missed Mr. Bahia.  You made a difference and we are sad you are gone. I keep in loose contact with my fellow retired teachers from Garibaldi Secondary School.  I talked with my long-time friend, Mike Lynch, today, and discovered that Hargit died over the summer.  Unbeknownst to him, he had an underlying heart condition and passed away after working out on his treadmill.  The date was August 2, 2024. I was shocked to hear this.  He was only 49 years old, turning 50 some 3 months later.  It was a shock to everyone, for he was loved by all who knew him.  As a teacher, Mr. Bahia was kind and fun.  He contributed to students in many ways and was always available to help those in need.   For myself, I knew him as a fellow science teacher and taught in the adjoining room to him.  He was always available to help, share ideas, and work together.  Easy to approach, I found that I could talk to him about anything and appreciat...
Read more

I found a black widow spider in a plant pot today

Image
The spider I found is a western black widow spider, one of three species of black widow that occur in North America.  The fact that this one has another red patch on the back of its abdomen above the spinnerettes tells us that it is an immature individual. The one thing that people know about black widow spiders is that they are extremely poisonous.  Their venom is something like 15x more toxic than that of a rattlesnake.  The saving grace is that there is very little venom injected from a black widow bite than what a rattlesnake can deliver.   The good news is that black widow bites seldom lead to death.  You are more likely to suffer nausea, muscle pain, and swelling around the bite.  Symptoms usually last only 12 hours or so.  Death may be a result in people with compromised immune systems or in the very young or the elderly.   In 2018, it was reported that there were 1015 cases of people bitten by black widows.  Of those, there ...
Read more

The passing of a generation

Image
Kathryn's mom and dad with our children, Josh and Leanne. A generation, for North America, tends to be between 20 and 30 years.  During that time a couple will give birth and raise children to see them repeat the pattern as they themselves have done.  Each generation has its own set of standards, values, and ideals based upon their experiences and culture, and some of that is passed down to their offspring.  What changes are the life experiences of the following generation and the new customs and ideals that are blended together as a couple becomes a family. Kathryn's mom passed away a few days ago, she was predeceased by her husband several years ago.  Both of them were the grandparents of my children, the mother and father of my wife, Kathryn.  It was my pleasure to know them and to love them as my own, for to me they were Mom and Dad.  And they were there to welcome my children into the world just as my children were with them in spirit when they left it...
Read more