Xenox tigrinus

Xenox tigrinus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Bombyliidae
Genus:	Xenox
Species:	X. tigrinus
Binomial name
Xenox tigrinus Evenhuis, 1984

The tiger bee fly, Xenox tigrinus, is an insect of the family Bombyliidae (bee flies).

This insect is not a bee, it is a true fly. However, the insect's name and menacing appearance would lead you to believe this is one critter you need to avoid. A tiger bee fly can measure anywhere from 0.75–1.75 inches long.

When viewed from the front its long proboscis gives the insect the appearance of a large mosquito. Fortunately, the long, slender beak is not capable of drawing blood from man or beast. Its body is black and fuzzy, similar to that of a large bee. The fly's long tapered, swept back, clear wings are decorated with intricate black patterns. The markings along the trailing edge of the wing look somewhat like tiger stripes. Its huge eyes appear to be giant versions of housefly eyes. The insect's black abdomen is marked with two white spots. They are often described as looking like a horse fly with stained glass wings.

Unfortunately, many tiger bee flies are killed by people that mistake them for a stinging or biting insect. In truth, the tiger bee fly is harmless and highly beneficial.

Remarkably, in spite of tiger bee fly's ferocious appearance, it is a member of a suite of native pollinators. The tiger bee fly uses its fearsome beak to sip nectar from flowers. Consequently, this bee fly can be seen hovering in front of blossoms adorning a number of flowering plants. It is particularly fond of coneflowers and asters. What makes it unique among its fellow native pollinators is it's parasitic procreation behavior.

After mating, the female hunts carpenter bee nest sites. As such, they are often seen hovering near carpenter bee nests. Once the female tiger bee fly finds a nest containing carpenter bee eggs she lays her eggs alongside the eggs left by the bees.

The fly’s larvae are parasites. On hatching, they are extremely active and move about seeking carpenter bee larvae. The tiger bee fly larvae then attach themselves to newly hatched carpenter bee larvae and methodically drink them dry. When each tiger bee fly completes this vampire-like task all that is left of the carpenter bee is an empty hull. The carpenter bee is literally eaten alive.