Bee vs Fly: How to Tell the Difference
Did you see a bee or a hoverfly in your garden? It’s worth your time to learn how to tell the difference between these flying garden visitors. Look for the following characteristics when trying to identify bees vs hoverflies.
Don’t be afraid to get close. Foraging bees are too intent on what they’re doing to bother with you, and flies have no stingers at all.
Check out these physical features to help identify a hoverfly vs a bee.
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Bee
Wings
Bees have two pairs of wings, one large and one small.
Head and Eyes
To identify bees, look for long oval-shaped eyes and large antennae.
Mouthparts
Bees have chewing mouthparts and a tonguelike proboscis. Flies have a spongy pad at the end of a flexible “arm,” or a spearlike beak.
Body
A bee’s distinctive waist helps it find the best angle of attack when stinging, ensuring that its stinger doesn’t crumple on impact.
Bees and some types of hoverflies are covered in fuzzy hairs that collect pollen while they buzz around in flowers. To make flights more efficient, many bees have developed special hairs to help pack in more pollen for the ride home.
Flight Range
Most bees don’t travel far from home and typically pollinate plants within a few miles of their nest.
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Hoverfly
The most common bee mimics are the hoverflies, members of the Syrphidae family, which resemble small bees or wasps like yellow jackets. Some even sound like wasps, with the frequency of their wing beats matching that of their stinging counterparts. They are garden friendly, helping to pollinate flowers and eat aphids.
Wings
A hoverfly has two large wings.
Head
In contrast to bees, this pollinator has large eyes and small antennae.
Body
Look for a stout abdomen without a stinger. The stripes mimic wasp markings.
Diet
Adult hoverflies often visit aphid infestations to feed on sugary honeydew produced by the aphids and to lay eggs. Their larvae have a voracious appetite for aphids.
Other Flies That Look Like a Bee
Just because it buzzes doesn’t mean it’s a bee. You may be surprised to learn just how many other garden bugs masquerade as bees, including moths, beetles and the real masters of disguise, flies. We have a tendency to think of flies as garbage-infesting, picnic-harassing, bloodsucking pests. But actually, most flies are big allies in the yard and garden.
It pays to mimic bees. After all, they can sting to defend themselves, and potential predators know this. Birds quickly learn to associate bold patterns of black and yellow, white or red with trouble. Of course, no fly can actually sting, but flies gain protection by looking like they can.
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Robber Flies
The Asilidae family’s robber flies are excellent mimics of bumblebees. Instead of visiting flowers, they perch on foliage, twigs or the ground, and then scan the sky overhead. When another insect flies over, the robber fly zooms off to grab the victim and then returns to its perch. This fly family, too, helps control some of the less desirable garden insects.
Bee Flies
Bee flies, also called “wanna-bees,” are in the Bombyliidae family. Their hairy bodies are delicate and can go bald quickly during their brief lives as adults. Many bee flies have a long proboscis that looks much like a mosquito’s bloodsucking snout. No worries, though—bee flies are harmless and feed on flower nectar.
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Feather-Legged Flies
Feather-legged flies in the Tachinidae family really take their disguise to the next level with fake pollen baskets on their hind legs. As adults, they may pollinate flowers; as larvae, they are parasitic on stink bugs and squash bugs. These flies are certainly good bugs for your garden!
Next, learn how to attract and host mason bees in a bee house.
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