What the hell is this.....

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95F8CD96CB6A45D1AE92E1A13DD3EB5B.jpeg
Shot with iPhone 8 plus

was the words I said when I saw this insect on my Sunday hike. I had never seen anything like it. I was trying to figure out what it was and what it was doing.

"Oh it must be mating season...no wait that other bug is being eaten..maybe that is what they do after mating season?"

So I asked a Japanese kid as they really get down on bug in science class here. He told me, "oh it is a type of bee, it is carrying it's young". I believed him, but like anything in life, you gotta do your own research and that for most humans means a Google search. ( Hate them all you want.)

After a quick right click I came to realize that this is a Robber fly which is part of a diverse species called Asilidae. . The Robber Fly AKA the Assassin Fly, gets its name as it literally robs other insects of their life, usually in mid air. It is a skilled predator that ambushes its prey then injects paralyzing saliva that contains digestive enzymes. They basically melt the insides of their prey and then drink them through their built in straw.

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Now what I still don't get is, was this Robber fly carrying its young? Or was it eating a smaller Robber fly? At close look you can see that it actually looks like the same insect. Check the wings and yellow furry stuff on both of them. Oh no wait, this actually looks like a bee.... what do you think?


If you know more about this insect do share in the comments. Bless UP! 👹



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21 comments
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Hello @dmilliz
Wow, this is really weird. I've never seen that bug before in my life. If I told you something about it, it would be...
But if I can tell you that it's a very good picture, it shows some really impressive details.
It looks like it's eating another insect, which of course, I don't know what it is either
But it doesn't seem to be the same species. They have some similarities, but the head is very different from each other.
Very good camera.
I saw your black and white twins over there, they're big. I think they're at that stage where they're growing very fast. It's good to see them all.

Cheers. Take care of yourselves.

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Hey thanks for stopping by, this insect really intrigued me. First time seeing anything like it myself. I wondered of it was the radiation 😅.

Yeah they really do look a like but different. And seeing that it is a predator, i doubt it would carry its young LOL. Yeah, the camera on the iphone 8 is better than I though, I can just imagine the 11 pro.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting dude.
Hive on brother.

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Is that one of those murder hornets I keep hearing about? 🤔

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/us/murder-hornets.html

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For sure not.

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So, it's a different insect that also likes to eat bees? 🤔

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The victim is NOT a bee nor a wasp, due to the not striped abdomen.

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Alright... but is that a murder hornet or a different beast?

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No, a murder hornet has a quite different head, smallers eyes, not those "flee" eyes and no hairs, and the body is completely differently structured
image.png

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I see. Thanks.

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Yeh those murder hornets are common here, the buzz is like a mini vehicle passing by. Every now and then one pops in through the window at work, but we have some zap/spray guns, one blast and they drop. But mostly they don't trouble humans.

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Nice pics...crazy post :P
After your explanation/research it really could be both cases...but i looks more like predator/prey.
The bigger one could also be a queen or a queen of a mutated bee version...how far are y'all away from Fukushima? :P
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https://duckduckgo.com/

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Yeah, the other insect is done. It seems these robber flies are actually quite common, not a bee at all but just a Japan species of the fly. LOL I live about 290.2 km from Fukushima,( maybe that is why so many twins in my town) but the thing about the radiation is most of it went across the pacific ( Or so they said ). Hmm maybe that is the reason Corona didn't hit Japan hard? 😵

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300 km is some distance... we need measurement equipment, can't trust no info out there.
We gotta start measure ourselves...different types of radiation...
Stay safe ;)

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Indeed it seems to be a robber fly. No clue what the victim is, but no way it is an adult carrying its young :)

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(Edited)

Yeah it`s like the tube ( for lack of a better word )is right at the back of the smaller insects neck, really strategic. This insect is a really skilled predator.

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It's a robber fly and they mainly prey on bees and wasps and it's not carrying its young but its prey. It has pierced the honeybee's thorax and is drinking its body fluids. The bee is full of pollen because it was probably going about its business as it was attacked

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Thanks for your clarification. What a predator it is, it would make for an interesting character in a monster movie taking down planes in mid air. ( My crazy mind)

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Haha yes, that's exactly what they do. There are many around my place too so I learned a little about their habits. Really sci fi creatures. Here's one from my place

robber fly2.jpg

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