The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Some are colloquially known as bomber flies . Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen , some being important pollinators .

Seeing the dark-edged bee-fly hover in mid-air, some people describe it as a tiny, fluffy, flying narwhale. It has a hairy little body and face, and a very long, straw-like tongue. At a glance, it's easy to mistake one for a bee. But these small fluffy creatures buzzing around looking for nectar are actually flies.

These are flies of the genus Bombylius, members of a large family of flies, Bombyliidae, known as bee flies. Bombylius flies are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere; they are found in North America as well as in Europe and Asia.

The bee fly is an insect belonging to the Bombyliidae family. Bee flies are so named because some Bombyliidae species closely resemble bees. Bombyliidae are members of the Diptera order, which is part of the Insecta class. The Bombyliidae family contains at least 4,500 species, including the bee fly. [1]

bee fly, any insect of the family Bombyliidae (order Diptera). Many resemble bees, and most have long proboscises (feeding organs) that are used to obtain nectar from flowers.

Bombylius major (commonly named the large bee-fly, the dark-edged bee-fly or the greater bee fly) is a parasitic bee mimic fly. B. major is the most common type of fly within the Bombylius genus. The fly derives its name from its close resemblance to …

Bee-flies are all parasitoids of solitary bees and wasps, their larvae consuming the baby bees underground and then emerging to pupate into the nectar feeding, and so in some instances, …