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Conopids are most frequently
found at flowers, feeding on nectar with their long proboscis. This
fly was photographed on a hot day in August, amongst a stand of
aster
and frost aster
wildflowers, alive with thousands of bees, wasps, and flies of all
sorts, all in competition for valuable nectar. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed in all the zoogeographic
regions except for the poles and many of the Pacific islands. About 800
species are described worldwide, approximately 67 of which are found in
North America. The majority of conopids are black and yellow, or black and
white, and often strikingly resemble wasps, bees, or flies of the family
Syrphidae, themselves notable bee mimics. The larvae of all conopids are
internal parasites, most of aculeate (stinging) Hymenoptera. Adults are said
to alight and deposit eggs on their flying hosts. |