Some Predator insects of California

Some of the Insect Predators we managed to get a photo of in California.

This is not a complete photo gallery, but at least it's a start. If you have any other photos you want to contribute email them to us.(Limit to 20 meg at a time please, or send us a DVD) These were all identified by http://bugguide.net .

A Robber Fly, Stenopogoninae

Looks like a fly, acts like a wasp. It's a Square-headed Waspi - grid24_12

Square headed wasp, Larrini

Square-headed Wasps are little fly catchers that live in sand. The females string their prey and carry the fly to the nest to feed their young. - grid24_12

A Different Squared headed Wasp, Oxybelus. Both of these Squared Headed Wasps live primarily on Crickets and Grasshoppers.

Thick headed fly, Physocephala texana, mostly prey on bumble bees, alkali bees, and sand wasps, whom it "attacks mid-air, ramming an egg between the victim's abdominal segments before releasing it" Eaton and Kaufman, Field Guide to insects of North America. - grid24_12

Physocephala, Thick headed bee. is a predator of bees and wasps.

Gasteruption wasps prey on Mason Bees and other small bees.

Pacific burrowing wasp, Philanthus multimaculatus is a bee-hunting wasp (or "beewolf")

a form of Tachinidae, maybe Gonia fly working the flowers of Arctostaphylos standfordiana - grid24_12

A form of Tachinidae, Gonia fly working the flowers of Arctostaphylos standfordiana. This fly preys on caterpillers.

Nomada – cuckoo bee on Ribes indecorum. They were also on the Arctostaphylos Austin griffin and Ian Bush. - grid24_12

Nomada, Cuckoo bees are Clepto-parasites. They lay their eggs in other native bee nests. Then eat the food and young of other bees.This one was working the flowers of Ribes indecorum.

Red Cuckoo Bee, Nomada

This fly was working the flowers of an Elephant Heart Plum - grid24_12

Peleteria, Tachina Fly. Probably a predator of moths. This one is pollinating a Plum.

Parasitic chiefly on Andrena.and the little sucker was stealing nectar from the manzanita flower. A real rotter. - grid24_12

Nomada-crotchii is parasitic chiefly on Andrena.and the little sucker was stealing nectar from the manzanita flower. A real rotter.

A Dancing fly. They are predators of small flying insects.

A Tachinid Fly. in the Voriini tribe. These flies attack butterfly and moth larva.

This little Beefly, Phthiriinae, (maybe Neacreotrichus) lays eggs among it's preys eggs. Lepidoptera, bees, and wasps, beetles, grasshoppers.

Thevenetimyia californica is a large and weird Beefly. - grid24_12

A California native beefly. Very different looking.

Beefly on Ribes caliofornicum - Bombylius major - grid24_12

Another of the Beeflies. This is Bombus major, probably the most common Beefly in the world. The nightmare of all momma bees as it's larva can eat a whole nursery.This Beefly was working the flowers of Ribes californicum.

<i>Exoprosopa caliptera</i> is parasitic on bee, wasp, and beetle larva. - grid24_12

Another bee fly

Ammophilina Thread Waisted Wasp prey on moth and butterflylarvae. Feeding on Eriogonum umbellatum, Sulfur Buckwheat nectar. - grid24_12

Ammophilina Thread Waisted Wasp prey on moth and butterfly larvae. Feeding on Eriogonum umbellatum nectar.

Pepsis - Tarantula Hawk on a Narrowleaf Milkweed. - grid24_12

Tarantula hawk wasp (Pepsis formosa) on an Asclepias fascicularis, Narrowleaf Milkweed

Halictini, Sphecodes is a Sweat bee Cleptoparasite that steals from other Halictini.

Predator of Andrena, Probably red thick-headed fly - Myopa rubida - grid24_12

As if the native bees do not have enough problems they have to deal with predators like Myopa rubida, Red thick-headed fly.

Punctate Blister Beetle (Epicauta puncticollis) lays it's eggs next to grasshopper eggs.,. When the eggs hatch the larvae eats the grasshopper eggs. - grid24_12

Punctate Blister Beetle (Epicauta puncticollis) can be toxic to horses if the harvester collects a great deal of them with the hay. But they are mostly beneficial predators of grasshoppers.

Lasioglossum, Sweat bee, on Arctostaphylos Ian Bush - grid24_12

Lasioglossum subgenus Dialictus

A Robber Fly, Stenopogoninae

Sphaerophoria larvae are predators of aphids - grid24_12

Sphaerophoria larvae are predators of aphids. This little fly was on Baccharis emoyrii.