Bee-fly
Villa
Alighted on damp soil at the shoreline of Kearney Lake, Pinal Co., Arizona, June 2010.
Bombyliidae -- Bee-Fly Family
Bee-flies resemble bees for a good reason: it provides these otherwise defenseless insects a measure of protection from insectivorous birds and lizards. These flies do not sting nor do they come to food at picnics nor garbage. As adults they spend a lot of time hovering close to the soil in a bare patch and feeding is generally restricted to nectar from flowers. Some have specialized, long and slender, flower-feeding mouthparts - these are not used for biting people. There are many species of bee-flies with a range of biologies, but most are parasitic on ground nesting insects such as bees, beetles and grasshoppers.
A Few of the many, many other Bee-Fly Species (thumbs):
