Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: DaveKow on July 14, 2008, 08:04:25 AM

Title: Can you tell me who this is?
Post by: DaveKow on July 14, 2008, 08:04:25 AM
Just started seeing these girls.  Wondering if honeybees have markings such as these?  I am hoping the answer is yes, because that would mean some feral bees.  I have 2 beeks about 2 miles away, but with all the clover would they travel this far?  I will try to get better pics if they show up today.
(http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/8286/1008975alp1.th.jpg) (http://img375.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1008975alp1.jpg)

Title: Re: Can you tell me who this is?
Post by: randydrivesabus on July 14, 2008, 08:40:29 AM
the picture is kind of unfocused but it looks like a wasp of some kind to me.
Title: Re: Can you tell me who this is?
Post by: Moonshae on July 14, 2008, 09:19:11 AM
I have some honeybees with similar markings.
Title: Re: Can you tell me who this is?
Post by: Cindi on July 14, 2008, 09:38:41 AM
Dave, wish I could see the entire insect, it looks like a honeybee to me though.  Get another picture so we can see better.  Beautiful and most wonderful of these days, great life.  Cindi
Title: Re: Can you tell me who this is?
Post by: Scadsobees on July 14, 2008, 09:50:48 AM
It is hard to tell from the picture.

It almost looks like the head is a little larger than a honeybee's, and I would be inclined to suspect that it is a "syrphid fly" which look amazingly like a honeybee .

If their heads are different then its probably a fly.
Title: Re: Can you tell me who this is?
Post by: BenC on July 14, 2008, 06:47:37 PM
Syrphidae.
Title: Re: Can you tell me who this is?
Post by: Brian D. Bray on July 15, 2008, 10:09:13 PM
Quote from: BenC on July 14, 2008, 06:47:37 PM
Syrphidae.

aka Horsefly.  Lots of people mistake horseflies for honeybees.  Horseflies look like a drone head on an worker body and no stinger.
Title: Re: Can you tell me who this is?
Post by: Cindi on July 16, 2008, 10:48:51 AM
Oh I hate horseflies.  I will never forget one chasing me down a mountain path one time, I was gallopping my mare trying to get away, that fly could fly faster than she could run.  Nasties, and they really hurt when they bite!!!!  BEautiful day, love our life.  Cindi