Like most pollinators, bee flies (Poecilanthrax lucifer) are very hard workers and much of their work as adults consists of gathering nectar and pollen. To accomplish this they try to find areas where flowers are fairly dense and then they fly from flower to flower collecting as much as they possibly can. They are very accomplished fliers who are fast, able to turn quickly, and can even hover over a flower to feed. Unlike honey bees, which are colonial and have very specific jobs, bee flies are solitary and have to not only eat, but they need to find mates, breed, find a proper nest, and the females must also lay eggs. That’s a lot to do in a short lifespan which can only last one summer at most. Just after Hurricane Helene, I was outside photographing the various pollinators enjoying the blackjack flowers that were blooming heavily thanks to all the rain. Among them were quite a few bee flies, and I was lucky enough to catch this one as it flew from one flower to the next. As you can see, the bee fly looks very similar to a bee, but it has a long, stiff proboscis that cannot be retracted. The proboscis allows them to probe into the centers of flowers and florets that they feed on. That’s one of several differences between bees and bee flies. Can you spot any others?