Posts tagged parasite

Sometimes flies don’t necessarily look like flies. Take for example Braula coeca, the Honey Bee Louse Fly, which has lost its wings to live on honey bees. These flies are kleptoparasites of honey bees as adults, which means that rather than drinking the bee’s hemolymph (insect blood), they steal food directly from the bee’s mouth! Braula coeca maggots feed on honey & pollen from the hive, but these flies are not thought to cause any economic damage or health issues for bees. 

Learn more about Braula coeca from the University of Florida Extension Website.

To celebrate National Moth Week, here’s the Fall Cankerworm Moth - Alsophila pometaria - (and one of its known parasitoids, the tachinid fly Blondelia eufitchiae).

Learn more about Alsophila pometaria at the Encyclopedia of Life.