Posts Tagged: freeloader flies

Catch of the Day

It's early morning and the spider is hungry.  It snares a honey bee foraging for pollen and nectar in a patch of Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifola) in a Vacaville pollinator garden.  The spider slides down the sticky web, kills...

An orbweaver snares a honey bee in its sticky web in a patch of Mexican sunflowers, Tithonia rotundifola, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An orbweaver snares a honey bee in its sticky web in a patch of Mexican sunflowers, Tithonia rotundifola, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tiny freeloader flies (family Milichiidae) grab their share. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tiny freeloader flies (family Milichiidae) grab their share. (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...

Freeloader flies, from family Milichiidae, crowd the carcass of a honey bee trapped in a web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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...

A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) wraps a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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)

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)

Close-up of freeloader flies on a bee wrapped by a banded garden spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Brother, Can You Spare a Meal?

A freeloader. A moocher. A sponger. That's the freeloader fly. A praying mantis is polishing off the remains of a honey bee. Suddenly a black dot with wings edges closer and closer and grabs a bit of the prey. So tiny. So persistent. So relentless....

Praying mantis eats a honey bee while a freeloader fly, family Milichilidae, does, too. Another freeloader edges closer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis eats a honey bee while a freeloader fly, family Milichilidae, does, too. Another freeloader edges closer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The freeloader fly is quite persistent. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The freeloader fly is quite persistent. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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