Sicus ferrugineus Bumble Bee Parasitoid

This fly is in the Thick-headed Fly family Conopidae and is said to be common throughout Europe. I have seen it only three times although I am outside, looking for insects, for long periods on most fine days.

The larvae are endoparasites of Bombus Bumble bees, inside which they overwinter as pupae. The adults feed on nectar and pollen.

I have to say that these are one of the ugliest species I have seen. To the naked eye they appear as a scruffy brownish, hairy mass, with the abdomen curled forwards underneath and with a conspicuous yellow face.

I found this mating pair in very windy conditions, where the leaf they were on was thrashed around so violently that I couldn’t believe that they were not shaken off. I had to really pick my moments, to get images which were remotely sharp.

Fortunately, a few days later, I found a lone individual in less windy conditions. It did fly off twice before I could catch up with it. The slow flight was easy to track. Even so, I got only two frames.

EM-1 (manual mode), Kiron 105mm, f16, twin TTL RC flash, hand-held.

Harold