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LinkedInPosts Tagged: Milichiidae
Freeloader Flies on Friday Fly Day
Have you ever seen a freeloader fly trying to sneak a meal? Since it's Friday Fly Day--and the best things in life are free, aren't they?--it's time to post an image of a freeloader fly. So here's the story: a praying mantis was polishing off the remains of a honey bee, and uninvited dinner...
A praying mantis and freeloader flies dining on a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a freeloader fly, family Milichiidae, probably genus Desmometopa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Freeloader flies invite themselves to dinner--a spider's dinner. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
May the Buzz Be With You
Did you feel the buzz in 2015? The honey bees, bumble bees, sunflower bees, sweat bees...what a year it was! It's time to walk down memory lane--or stray from the garden path--and post a few bee images from 2015. It wasn't all flowers and sunshine. Bees took a beating--from pesticides, pests,...
A female ultra green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus, nectaring on cosmos. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenski, foraging on a tower of jewels. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee, Apis mellifera, foraging on a Bacopa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Two sunflower bees battle it out: a male Svastra (larger bee delivers quick kick to a smaller male Melissodes. The flower is a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A praying mantis eating a bee, predator vs. prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Freeloader flies, family Milichiidae, and probably genus Desmometopa, dining on a honey bee, a spider's prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Pity the Poor Honey Bees
Pity the poor honey bees. They have to contend with pesticides, parasites, pests, diseases, malnutrition, stress and that mysterious malady called colony collapse disorder in which adult bees abandon the hive, leaving behind the queen, immature bees and food stores. The...
Freeloader flies, from family Milichiidae, crowd the carcass of a honey bee trapped in a web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Freeloaders Never Miss a Meal
If your dog is well, a little chunky, you're probably accustomed to someone saying "Fido never misses a meal, does he?" Well, those little freeloader flies never miss a meal, either. They not only never miss a meal, but they're never late for dinner. First come, first served. Table for 12,...
A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) wraps a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Freeloader flies, family Milichildae, gather around the abandoned prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of freeloader flies on a bee wrapped by a banded garden spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
There Is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch
There is such a thing as a free lunch. And a free breakfast. And a free dinner. And a free snack. That is, if you're a freeloader fly. If you've ever watched a spider snare a bee or other insect in its web, and wrap it like a fit-to-be-tied holiday present, you've probably seen...
A freeloader fly dines on a bee freshly killed by a garden spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a freeloader fly, family Milichiidae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
