Showing posts with label mimicry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mimicry. Show all posts

Monday, April 14, 2025

That's Not an Ant?!

It is always best to avoid making assumptions about insects in the field. I was reminded of that on three seperate occasions this month, all of them involving mimicry of ants by small longhorned beetles in the family Cerambycidae. Early spring is apparently the season for these wood-boring insects, at least here in Kansas. Their resemblance to ants is uncanny, and highly convincing.

Cyrtophorus verrucosus

While exploring our yards and looking for insects on April 2, I noticed what I thought was a carpenter ant climbing on the exterior of our detached garage. I was about to dismiss it, but decided to document it anyway, as it would be new for the year. Imagine my surprise and delight to discover it was instead an adult Cyrtophorus verrucosus. This species has no common name, which is unfortunate given its uniqueness.

The beetle averages only 9 millimeters in body length. Larvae bore in a variety of host trees, including maple, hickory, oak, elm, birch, chestnut, dogwood, Eastern Redbud, American Beech, and even pine. The adult beetles are active from March to July, but are most abundant in early spring. Cyrtophorus verrucosus ranges over most of the eastern U.S., and Canada as far west as Alberta. This was a new species for our property.

I was invited to present the keynote address for a joint meeting of the Kansas Academy of Science, and Central States Entomological Society, in Wichita, Kansas on April 5, and Heidi and I stayed over to go exploring on Sunday, April 6. I reached out to a Facebook and iNaturalist friend, Ryan Philbrick, and we met at the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit in Central Riverside Park. From there we went to Keeper of the Plains, and walked the nice concrete trail along the Arkansas River. At one point, Ryan turned over a small, broken tree limb on the ground. He noticed millipedes and a small "ant" crawling over the bark.

Euderces pini

I trained my camera on the ant and discovered it was another species of longhorned beetle, Euderces pini. At only 7-8 millimeters, and slender, it is even more ant-like than other species. The larval host trees include Flowering Dogwood, Pecan, Winged Elm, and American Beech, but there are several other hardwoods on the menu.

The adult beetles are frequently found on flowers, feeding on pollen and nectar. Even dandelions will suffice until native trees start blooming. Euderces pini occurs in the southern half of the eastern United States, and appears as an adult from March to June.

Currant-tip Borer

Back home, yesterday, April 13, I happened to notice a small ant-like insect on the central air-conditioning unit in the back yard. It was even smaller than the other beetles, but at least it had a common name: the Currant-tip Borer, Psenocerus supernotatus.

Despite its name, this 4-millimeter beetle has been reared from plants other than currant: Green Hawthorn, Tulip Tree (aka Tulip Poplar, Yellow Poplar), and Black Willow. This beetle is widespread in North America, east of the Rocky Mountains, and the adults are found from April to June.

None of these three beetles are considered pests, maybe because they do not affect crops or orchard trees. Their earthtone colors make them rather cryptic, but they are quite active, running rapidly, and flying well.

An actual ant

It is interesting to note the convergence in body shape and coloration between the different genera. They each have white streaks or bars designed to suggest body segmenation where there is none. Ants show marked constrictions between the head, thorax, and abdomen. In these beetles, the thorax may be mistaken for the enlarged head of an ant, and the elytra (wing covers), "divided" into thorax and abdomen by those white markings. The true head of the beetle is relatively small, and in the case of the Currant-tip Borer, directed downward and nearly hidden by the thorax.

There are even more ant-mimicking longhorned beetle species. Give that "ant" a second glance, especially if you see it in isolation, with no other ants nearby. It may turn out to be a beetle instead.

Sources: Lingafelter, Steven W. 2007. Illustrated Key to the Longhorned Woodboring Beetles of the Eastern United States North Potomac, Maryland: Coleopterists Society, Special Publication No. 3. 206 pp.
Yanega, Douglas. 1996. Field Guide to Northeastern Longhorned Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Champaign, Illinois: Illinois Natural History Survey, Manual 6. 174 pp.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

A Case of Predator Mimicry in the Bee Fly Genus Epacmus? (Diptera: Bombyliidae)

In the course of photographing insects in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, at a nearby vacant expanse of prairie, soon to be a new housing development, I stumbled upon something interesting. Not until I got home and reviewed my images did I recognize something startling on an otherwise ordinary little bee fly in the genus Epacmus (assuming my identification is correct). Whether this has been documented before I do not know, but the phenomenon is well known in other insects.

Epacmus sp. bee fly. Nothing to see here....yet

Predator mimicry, or elusive mimicry, or aggressive mimicry, is when a prey species mimics one of its predators. This is probably a more widespread strategy than we currently recognize because we are not at the same scale as the predator and prey, and cannot easily interpret what constitutes such mimicry. We do not even enjoy the same perspective, so rarely experience the full effect.

It was not formally recognized, or at least not published, until 2006, that metalmark moths in the genus Brenthia have underside wing patterns that greatly resemble the face and legs of an oncoming jumping spider. They eye arrangement, chelicerae (jaws), and front two pairs of legs are all illustrated on the wings of the moth, when properly displayed by the insect. The moth would make an easy meal for the spider, but not if it presents the illusion that it is a spider. Evolutionary genius.

Spider mimicry is also exploited by other insects, including some fruit flies (family Tephritidae) and planthoppers (Fulguroidea). The bold patterns on the wings of some fruit flies greatly resemble the leg posture of some spiders. Some of the flies enhance the graphic imagery by moving their wings deliberately in a manner utterly convincing of a spider’s movements.

Whoah! Spider eyes and "mustache"

This brings me to the little bee fly I noticed on flowers in that prairie habitat. Viewed from above, Epacmus is an attractive, tapered, fuzzy insect about 7-10 millimeters in length, with delicate wings and something of a smiley-face pattern where the abdomen meets the thorax. Cute. Look at one directly from behind and you get an entirely different picture. Suddenly, you see the big black eyes of a jumping spider. Four black, polished, hemispherical bumps on the rear of the thorax are a perfect match for the eyes of a small salticid (jumping spider). This is reminiscent of raised features on the thorax of the Brazilian fruit fly Ceratitis alba (See Hill, David E., et al. 2019).

Habronattus sp. jumping spider stalking a Andrena sp. mining bee

Ok, so how often might the fly encounter a jumping spider? More frequently than you might imagine, even on flowers. Another photo I took of a mining bee revealed a jumping spider right on her tail. I hadn’t noticed the spider until I looked at the image later, at home. Habronattus jumping spiders are abundant in this prairie habitat, and hunt exactly where you expect to see bee flies: on the ground, vegetation close to the ground, and on flowers. The spiders are small and cryptic, easily overlooked.

Male Epacmus bee fly

What else are we missing in our observations of insects and their spider predators? Keep observing and you, too, may make a startling addition to our collective scientific knowledge.

Note: At least one world authority on bee flies (Bombyliidae) asserts that Epacmus may not be a valid genus, but a subset of the genus Aphoebantus instead.

Female Epacmus bee fly

Sources:Rota, Jadranka, and David L. Wagner. 2006. “Predator Mimicry: Metalmark Moths Mimic Their Jumping Spider Predators,” PlosOne.
Mather, Monica H. and Bernard D. Roitberg. 1987. “A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing: Tephritid Flies Mimic Spider Predators,” Science 236: 308-310.
Hill, David E., A.P.C. Abhijith, and Joao P. Burini. 2019. “Do jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) draw their own portraits?,”Peckhamia 179.1
Melander, Axel Leonard. 1950. “Aphoebantus and its Relatives Epacmus and Eucessia,” Annals Ent. Soc. Amer. 43(1): 1-45.
Hull, Frank M. 1973. Bee Flies of the World. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. 687 pp.
Cole, Frank R. 1969. The Flies of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. 693 pp.

Spider or fly?

Friday, September 16, 2016

A Beetle Mimicry Complex

This week, on one of my daily walks around our Colorado Springs neighborhood, I encountered a beetle on the sidewalk that gave me reason to pause. I initially dismissed it as a species of soldier beetle that is extremely abundant at this time of year, but something looked a little "off." Sure enough, it was something else; and that got me thinking about mimicry among all these beetles.

Blister beetle, Epicauta stuarti

The beetle on the sidewalk turned out to be a blister beetle, Epicauta stuarti, a species I had not seen before. Blister beetles, family Meloidae, are well known for containing high concentrations of the potent, irritating chemical cantharidin. Blister beetles exude the chemical in liquid form from leg joints and from between other body segments if the insect is squeezed or crushed. The chemical goo can raise painful, scarring blisters on sensitive skin; it can be fatal if ingested.

Ironically, many, if not most, blister beetles don't advertise their toxicity with bright "warning colors." Epicauta stuarti is one that does, but the interesting part is that its pattern of black and orange is very similar to that of our two common autumn soldier beetles. Soldier beetles are in the family Cantharidae, and they also have chemical defenses, which they secrete from abdominal glands. The Colorado Soldier Beetle, Chauliognathus basalis, is common on the plains. Its close relative, C. deceptus, replaces it in the foothills and mountains.

Colorado Soldier Beetle

This kind of shared color pattern that reinforces predator deterrence is called Müllerian mimicry. Both animals can back up their colorful advertisement of toxicity with actual chemical weaponry. This is a very interesting example of mimicry, but it doesn't end here. Other local beetles have jumped on the bandwagon.

End Band Net-wing Beetle, Calopteron terminale

Also appearing at this time of year is the End Band Net-wing beetle, Calopteron terminale. They generally occur in far fewer numbers than the soldier beetles, but can be mistaken for them with just a passing glance. It is widely assumed that net-winged beetles (family Lycidae) are distasteful to predators, because they have colorful patterns in many cases. Whether this has been proven I do not know.

Net-winged beetles may exaggerate the effect of their wardrobe by raising and lowering their wing covers (elytra) in a unique display. As adults, they feed on nectar, and the "honeydew" secreted by aphids and related insects as a sweet liquid waste product. Larvae of netwing beetles feed on fungi or metabolic products of fungi. Whether this diet can be converted into toxic compounds is debatable.

Longhorned beetle, Crossidius discoideus

While the jury may still be out on whether net-winged beetles are indeed toxic, there is no question that yet another mimic in this complex is pulling one over on predators. The longhorned beetle Crossidius discoideus fools us into thinking it is dangerous to eat by mimicking the pattern of the solider beetles. It can even be found on the same flowers as the soldier beetles and is difficult to easily separate from them, except for its long antennae. This brand of mimicry is called Batesian Mimicry, whereby a harmless animal masquerades as a dangerous one.

Crossidius discoideus has no common English name. As a larva, it bores in the root crowns of Broom Snakeweed, Gutierrezia sarothrae, or Jimmyweed (Isocoma spp.). The adults feed on flower pollen and nectar. Broom Snakeweed is also where the blister beetles hang out, so I may have to look more thoroughly for them now.

Longhorned beetle, Batyle suturalis

Yet another kind of longhorned beetle, Batyle suturalis, appears just before the populations of soldier beetles explode. Is it, too, taking advantage of a similar color pattern to gain "cover" from predators? What I would like to know is which of the truly toxic beetles started this whole complex. The blister beetle? The solider beetles? We will likely never know, and that is part of the appeal of entomology. It is an endlessly curious endeavor, seeking the answers to more puzzles than mankind will ever unravel.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Eight Illinois Wasp and Bee Mimics in Twenty Minutes

One of the few entomologically-rewarding stops on our recent road trip was at the National Trail Rest Area on Interstate 70 near Altamont, Illinois, on May 16. A brief bit of sunshine warmed the woodland edges enough to bring out a wealth of fly diversity, many of which were mimics of various wasps and bees. There were even a few real wasps.

Somula decora syrphid fly

Large patches of touch-me-nots (aka "jewelweed") carpeted the edges of the lawn where it gave way to forest, and the leaves of this plant offered places to bask for many insects. The first fly I spotted was one of my favorites in the family Syrphidae (flower flies). Somula decora is roughly the size of a honey bee, black in color but heavily marked with golden yellow. I suspected that this species is a mimic of scoliid wasps, but at this time of year a more likely candidate for a model would be a queen yellowjacket.

Helophilus sp. syrphid fly

Helophilus spp. are also probably yellowjacket mimics. The vertical yellow stripes on the thorax help to identify them fairly easily. Apparently the larvae develop in decaying plant matter that is submerged in water, as do other Syrphidae species like the "rat-tailed maggots." The adults certainly are sun-loving as their genus name suggests.

Temnostoma sp. syrphid fly

Syrphid flies in the genus Temnostoma are likely mimics of the solitary mason wasps that are in the same family as the social yellowjackets. They carry their mimicry to astonishing extremes. Note that the leading edge of their wings is darkened, mimicking the longitudinal folds of a vespid wasp's wings at rest. Wasps have long, reasonably thick antennae, which Temnostoma flies don't have. No worries, the fly compensates by waving its front pair of legs in front of its face, just like wasp antennae. Wh-a-a-a-a-t?! I know! Next time I'll take video.

Male Ancistrocerus sp. mason wasp

Well, lookie lookie, here comes an honest-to-goodness, certifiable mason wasp. This is a male, as the tip of each antenna is hooked, a distinguishing characteristic for many male eumenine wasps. I am a little hard-pressed for a genus, but I suspect it might be Ancistrocerus. Female mason wasps usually nest in pre-existing cavities like old beetle borings in logs, hollow twigs, etc.

Chalcosyrphus piger syrphid fly

Yet another kind of syrphid fly we saw was this Chalcosyrphus species. They are typically assumed to be mimics of solitary wasps in the families Pompilidae, Crabronidae, or Sphecidae. Indeed, some species even flick their wings like wasps while they run around on foliage or the surface of logs. Their larvae live in decaying wood, but at least a few may feed on fermenting sap. This species has a red abdomen, but others are wholly black or otherwise colored differently. There are 22 species in North America, so identification is difficult without putting a specimen under a microscope.

Xylota sp. syrphid fly

Closely allied to Chalcosyrphus is the genus Xylota. Oddly, this specimen reminded me most of a sawfly or an ichneumon wasp, neither of which is usually capable of stinging in self-defense. The adult flies rarely visit flowers, instead feeding on pollen grains from the surface of leaves. The larvae develop in rotting wood.

Mallota posticata syrphid fly

Many syrphid flies use leaves as a platform on which to groom, which explains the yoga-like moves of this specimen of Mallota posticata, a bumble bee mimic. I swear, grooming flies must be the envy of contortionists. As larvae, these flies grow up in rotting holes in trees.

Eastern Yellowjacket queen, a real wasp!

My, my, here we have another actual wasp, a queen of the Eastern Yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons, pausing from her search for an underground nesting site. She is likewise grooming. This particular species is very likely the "model" for most of the "mimic" flies we were seeing....and arguably the best mimic was yet to come.

Sphecomyia vittata syrphid fly

The syrphid fly Sphecomyia vittata is simply stunning. It is about the same size as a queen yellowjacket, and even has longer, thicker antennae than almost any other fly, the better to resemble its sting-equipped model. This insect even flies like a queen yellowjacket, in the lazy, zig-zag manner of a queen looking for a nesting site. I recall capturing one of these in Cincinnati and being convinced it was a wasp right up until I had it in the jar. I was jaw-droppingly impressed.

Ichneumon wasp

Ah, here is an ichneumon wasp that looks suspiciously like that Xylota flower fly we saw a few minutes ago. At least some members of the subfamily Ichneumoninae can sting, so maybe looking like one is a better strategy than first imagined.

Laphria sp. robber fly

Somewhere along the line my wife spotted this fly, which I never saw. It is obviously a bumble bee mimic, but it is not a syrphid. It is a robber fly in the family Asilidae, genus Laphria. Looking like a bumble bee works to its advantage in two ways: its potential predators assume it stings. Meanwhile the fly's potential prey assume it is a bee seeking flower nectar. Interestingly, Laphria seem to be particularly fond of small, flying beetles, which they spot from their perches, apprehend in mid-air, and return to a leaf or log to feed upon.

Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis sirtalis

What a rewarding rest stop. Oh, and there was this bonus Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis sirtalis, also soaking up some rays. It never moved an inch as we worked around it to take insect images. Thanks to the maintenance crews at this rest stop for recognizing the importance of leaving natural elements intact around the area, including dead wood for insects to feed on, and birds to nest in. May other states follow your example.

Source: Marshall, Stephen A. 2006. Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity. Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books, Ltd.732 pp.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Wasp Mantisfly

Maybe I am simply excitable in general, but I was ecstatic to find a truly astonishing insect species earlier this week here in Colorado Springs. I spied what I thought was an ordinary paper wasp (Polistes sp.) on the underside of a sunflower blossom, but something wasn't quite right. Short, quivering antennae finally betrayed it as the Wasp Mantisfly, Climaciella brunnea. These bizarre insects are most closely related to antlions and lacewings in the order Neuroptera.

As I wrote in the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, mantispids "resemble a science experiment gone horribly wrong. Imagine shrinking a praying mantis, then attaching its front end to the hind end of a lacewing, and you have a mantispid."

In the case of C. brunnea, the body form has been further modified to look like a paper wasp. The resemblance is uncanny. The base of the abdomen is constricted into a "wasp waist," and the wings are rotated such that they fold over the back instead of pitched roof-like as in other mantispids. Even more amazing, the leading half of each wing is darkened, to resemble the longitudinal fold in the wings of vespid wasps. When startled, the Wasp Mantispid even splays its wings like an agitated paper wasp.

Wasp Mantisfly in defensive pose

An actual paper wasp, Mischocyttarus flavitarsis

As if the adult insect is not strange enough, the life cycle is simply mind-boggling. The adult female C. brunnea deposits clutches of literally hundreds, even thousands of eggs, each on a short filament, usually on the underside of leaves. The tiny larvae that emerge probably drop to the ground. They then adopt a posture whereby they are standing more or less upright, on their hind end, swaying, and legs waving in the air. They aim to glom onto passing spiders. Only one larva per spider will survive, and competition must be keen. Assuming only one larva boards a given spider in our example, the story progresses this way: The larva clings to the margin of the spider's carapace (top part of the cephalothorax), waiting for the spider to reproduce. Should the spider be a male, the larva must transfer to a female during mating. The mantispid larva must then wait until the female begins constructing an egg sac.

Before the female spider finishes closing her egg sac, the mantispid larva must enter the sac. The larva cannot penetrate an egg sac that is completely enclosed in silk. Once inside, the larva begins feeding on the spider eggs.

At least three wolf spider hosts have been recorded for C. brunnea: the Rabid Wolf Spider, Rabidosa rabida, and two unidentified members of the genus Schizocosa (Redborg and Redborg, 2000) in Illinois. The entire life cycle from egg to adult requires at least one year.

Look for the adult mantispids on flowers, especially sunflowers, thistles, and milkweed, where they wait to ambush other insects. I found a total of five specimens in quick succession on sunflowers at the edge of a big vacant field of shortgrass prairie on August 13, 2014, and three more on August 15 in the same location. So, they can be very localized in abundance.

Apparently the males live but a very short time, less than a week. Females persist for about a month. Emergence times vary, between May and October, but the overwhelming majority seem to be seen in June, July, and August.

This species is widely distributed, and while considered scarce is probably more common than we realize. It is recorded from southern Canada and nearly every state except the Pacific coast states, Idaho, and Nevada, then south through most of Central America.

Sources: Boyden, Thomas C. 1983. "Mimicry, Predation, and Potential Pollination by the Mantispid Climaciella brunnea var. instabilis (Say) (Neuroptera: Mantispidae)," J. NY Entomol. Soc. 91(4): 508-511.
LaSalle, Mark W. 1986. "Note on the Mantispid Climaciella brunnea (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) in a Coastal Marsh Habitat," Entomol. News 97: 7-10.
Leckie, Seabrooke. 2010. "Mantisfly," The Marvelous in Nature.
Redborg, Kurt E. and Ellis G. Macleod. 1983. "Climaciella brunnea (Neuroptera: Mantispidae): a mantispid that obligately boards spiders," J. Nat. Hist. 17(1): 63-73.
Redborg, Kurt E. and Annemarie H. 2000. "Resource Partitioning of Spider Hosts (Arachnida, Araneae) by Two Mantispid Species (Neuroptera, Mantispidae) in an Illinois Woodland," J. Arachnol. 28(1): 70-78.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Ground Spiders, Sergiolus

Few spiders are as colorful as those in the genus Sergiolus. Why they are so boldly marked is something of a mystery, though there is suspicion that they may be mimicking velvet ants, wingless wasps in the family Mutillidae that pack a potent sting. Sixteen species of Sergiolus are known north of Mexico.

Sergiolus sp. male from Indiana

These nomadic arachnids are very agile, at least when fleeing potential danger, and they often prowl through leaf litter, so you may only get a glimpse of one. Be patient, though, and it is likely to reappear. They are also good climbers, so don’t be surprised to find them on foliage, or walls, too.

Sergiolus are medium-sized members of the family Gnaphosidae, females ranging from 6-10 millimeters in body length, males 5.5 to 7 millimeters. They are mostly diurnal (day-active), so are even more conspicuous than the average spider. The obvious, cylindrical spinnerets at the tip of the abdomen are characteristic of all Gnaphosidae, but helps distinguish Sergiolus from colorful spiders in other families. There are other ornate gnaphosids, such as Callilepis, and separating the different genera hinges on subtle distinctions in the genitalia (epigynum of females, pedipalps of males).

Male Sergiolus sp. from Colorado

Since there are several species, I am reluctant to assign specific names to the images shown here. One of the more abundant species found from the Nebraska and Oklahoma eastward is S. capulatus, sometimes known as the Variegated Spider. It bears an uncanny resemblance to velvet ants in the genus Timulla, which frequent similar habitats: sun-dappled patches on the floor of deciduous forests. The spider is also found in gardens, meadows, even lawns.

Female Timulla sp. velvet ant

One common western species is S. montanus.

While Sergiolus does not spin webs to snare prey, they do construct retreats in which to molt, guard an egg sac in the case of females, and perhaps to overwinter. They probably live over a year, as adults can be found in almost any season. Obviously, they are most active during the warmer months.

Look for these and other spiders, as well as insects, in sunlit spots in wooded areas. You will be surprised at what shows up if you simply sit and watch. Sergiolus can also be found under stones and other objects in reasonably dry situations.

Male Sergiolus capulatus? from Indiana

You can keep gnaphosids in captivity with relative ease. Almost any container will do. Provide them with water, as they do not obtain water from prey. I furnish a small wad of cotton soaked in water at least once per week. A small insect can be fed to a spider every other week or so. Spiders are built to withstand surprisingly long periods without food. Remove the prey insect if it has not been consumed within two days. Spiders preparing to molt will not feed and are therefore vulnerable themselves to predation.

Note: Several members of the genus Sergiolus were once placed in the genus Poecilochroa, and older references treat them as such.

Sergiolus montanus? from Colorado

Sources: Bradley, Richard L. 2013. Common Spiders of North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. 271 pp.
Kaston, B.J. 1978. How to Know the Spiders (Third Edition). Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers. 272 pp.
Ubick, D., P. Paquin, P.E. Cushing, and V. Roth (eds). 2003. Spiders of North America: an identification manual. American Arachnological Society. 377 pp.

Friday, August 30, 2013

The "News Bee"

It is Fly Day Friday, and I have been neglecting the Diptera for far too long. Last week, my wife Heidi and I were in Ohio where we saw many striking members of this order. Friday, August 23, we hiked the trail to Buzzardroost Rock, a preserve maintained by The Nature Conservancy in Adams County (south central Ohio). Near the top of the ridge we heard a loud buzzing and saw a large insect hovering in the sun near a large log. Periodically it would perch on a leaf or the ground and it was then apparent what it was: a flower fly in the family Syrphidae. This particular species was the spectacular Milesia virginiensis.

At 18-28.5 millimeters in body length, and brightly colored in yellow, brown, and black, this fly could easily be mistaken for a European Hornet or queen yellowjacket. The ominous droning buzz it makes only heightens the visual mimicry. Some speculate that this species mimics the Southern Yellowjacket, Vespula squamosa. Indeed, Southern Yellowjackets were also active in the area, but the workers are substantially smaller than this fly. It is too early for the yellowjacket queens to be appearing, but they make for a better “model” in both size and color pattern.

Milesia virginiensis figures in American folklore and superstition. It is still known in many hamlets as the “News Bee,” for it will sometimes hover in front of a person, as if it were “giving them the news.” It is also considered to be good luck if one of these flies alights on your finger. I was surprised that this particular individual allowed me a very close approach, so maybe it is not out of the realm of possibility than one of these insects could perch on a patient person.

Perhaps the idea of these flies broadcasting the local gossip stems from confusion with real bees. Another old wives’ tale suggests that a bee buzzing in one’s ear means that important news will arrive shortly.

Larvae of the News Bee apparently feed in the wet, rotting heartwood of stumps and logs, which might explain why this adult fly showed so much interest in the log. Males might recognize a log as a potential resource for females to lay eggs in, and guard a territory around it.

This species is found throughout most of eastern North America, from Kansas to Minnesota and Ontario, south to Texas and Florida. Nowhere does it seem to be abundant, however. Look for the adults from late May to November in southerly latitudes, and mid-summer to early fall elsewhere. Two other species in the genus, M. bella and M. sctutellata range in the southwest U.S. and southeastern U.S. (southeast Oklahoma to North Carolina), respectively.

Milesia virginiensis is also known as the Yellowjacket Hover Fly and the Virginia Flower Fly. While there are records of them visiting Queen Anne’s Lace, Rattlesnake Master, and other wildflowers, I personally have not seen them nectaring. Almost invariably, I find them hovering in sunny spots in the understory of hardwood forests.

Sources: Coin, Patrick, et al. 2012. “Species Milesia virginiensis - Yellowjacket Hover Fly,” Bugguide.net
Skevington, Jeff H. 2012. “Field Guide to the Syrphidae of Northeastern North America,” Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids, and Nematodes.