Bombyliidae

The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Sometimes people call them bomber flies. These interesting insects look a bit like bees, which helps them avoid predators.

Most adult bee flies enjoy eating nectar and pollen from flowers, and some of them help plants grow by moving pollen from one flower to another.

The larvae, or baby stages, of bee flies live on or inside other insects. This is a natural part of how these flies help keep ecosystems balanced. Bee flies are found all around the world and come in many different shapes and colors, making them fascinating to watch and learn about.

Overview

The Bombyliidae are a large family of flies. There are hundreds of different groups. They can be very small, about 2 mm long, or quite large with a wingspan of up to 40 mm. When resting, many hold their wings back at a special angle. These flies usually eat nectar and pollen, and they help plants by moving pollen from one flower to another. They often have long, tube-like mouths to reach deep into flowers.

Bee flies often look like bees. This helps protect them from predators. Their babies, called larvae, eat the eggs or young of other insects, such as beetles, wasps, or solitary bees. There are at least 4,500 known types of bee flies, with many more probably waiting to be discovered. Even though they are important for nature, they are not often seen in parks or gardens like some other insects.

Morphology

Bee flies, also known as Bombyliidae, come in many shapes and sizes. They range from very small to a few centimeters long. Most have bodies covered in dense hair and colors like brown, black, or yellow. Some bee flies look like bees or wasps, which helps protect them from predators.

Their wings are clear or colored and often have special patterns. The wings help female bee flies fly longer distances, especially when searching for food or laying eggs. Even though they look similar to hoverflies, bee flies can be told apart by their curved faces and wing patterns.

Biology

Bee flies, also known as Bombyliidae, are interesting insects that love sunny, dry places with sand or rocks. They have strong wings and are often seen flying near flowers or resting on warm ground. These flies help plants grow because they visit flowers for nectar and pollen.

Unlike many other flies that only drink nectar, bee flies also eat pollen. This gives them important proteins. They can fly very fast and change direction quickly. Some even hover in one spot in the air.

Some bee flies have long mouthparts to reach deep into flowers for food. Others land on flowers and walk around like bees. This makes them important pollinators, especially in dry places where few other insects live.

Zoogeography

Bee flies, called Bombyliidae, live all over the world. You can find them in the Palearctic realm, Nearctic realm, Afrotropical realm, Neotropical realm, Australasian realm, Oceanian realm, and Indomalayan realm. They are most common in warm, dry places, like tropical and subtropical areas. These flies help plants grow because the adults eat nectar and pollen.

Species lists

Bee flies, also called Bombyliidae, live all around the world. You can find out more about them in different places using these links:

• West Palaearctic including Russia
• Nearctic
• Japan

Systematics

The systematics of bee flies, also called bombyliids or bee flies, are not fully certain. Scientists have different ideas about how to group them, and their classification has changed over time.

Today, there are about 4700 known species of bee flies, in 270 different groups. They are sorted into several smaller families, with some of the main ones being Anthracinae, Bombyliinae, Crocidiinae, and others.

Genera

Bee flies, also called Bombyliidae, are a family of flies sometimes known as bee flies or bomber flies. The adults eat nectar and pollen, and some help plants by spreading pollen.

The family has many different groups, such as:

• Acanthogeron Bezzi, 1925
• Acreophthiria Evenhuis, 1986
• Acreotrichus Macquart, 1840
• Acrophthalmyda Bigot, 1858
• Adelidea Macquart, 1840
• Adelogenys Hesse, 1938
• Aldrichia Coquillett, 1894
• Alepidophora Cockerell, 1909
• Aleucosia Edwards, 1934
• Alomatia Cockerell, 1914

There are many more groups in this family, so it is a large and varied group of insects.