THE GREATER “BEE FLY” 

Bombylius major looks somewhat like a furry bee but with a long rigid proboscis used for drinking nectar from deep flowers. Actually, this animal is a fly! Its proboscis is not a stinger. Unlike a bee, Bombylius has only one pair of wings that are held away from the body. They can rotate their bodies around a vertical axis; this behavior is called “yawning,” when applied to a helicopter flight option. Their body length is 6 to 18 mm and their proboscis is between 5.5 and 7.5 mm in length; thus the entire animal is less than 26 mm long (1.25 inches); which is similar to the size of a bee. 

Figure 1. Bombylius major, approximately 25 mm in entire length (body and proboscis).

This bee mimic does not sting, bite, nor spread disease. It can tolerate arid and moist environments.

This bee mimic is most common in England, Scotland, and Wales. There are several hundred described species of this bee mimic.

Reference

Wikipedia, 2026