Insects That Look Like Bees
Many insects look and even sound like bees in our gardens and yards.
Insects that look like bees. You absolutely cant miss their long proboscis or tongue. Some flies especially bee flies can be hairy like honey bees figure 2 bumble bees and digger bees and can hover and move quickly from flower to flower while foraging just like bees. Insects that look like bumblebees insects that look like bumblebees or mimic bumblebees or have been mistaken for bumblebees. None of the insects pictured above are bees but actually flies that are mimicking bees or in the case of the first picture mimicking a wasp.
Some flies especially bee flies can be hairy like honey bees figure 2 bumble bees and digger bees and can hover and move quickly from flower to flower while foraging just like bees. These brown hairy flies look rather like brown carder bumblebees and male hairy footed flower bees. This publication summarizes the insects that mimic bees including flies wasps and moths and which ones are pollinators. Most flies that resemble bees have short three segmented antennae while bees have longer cylindrical antennae of 12 female or 13 male segments.
Most flies that resemble bees have short three segmented antennae while bees have longer cylindrical antennae of 12 female or 13 male segments.