11th April 2025

There have been a lot of Bee-flies about this year. They are delightful little creatures. There are two species that are likely to be seen around here, the Dark-edged and Dotted Bee-flies. This one is a Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major). The larvae of this species is a nest parasite of solitary bees, eating the bee larvae. The female bee-fly flicks her eggs towards the entrance holes of ground nesting bees. The bee bank at Goodnestone Park has lots of nesting mining bees and these bee-flies can be seen hanging around there.