A squat, hairy fly resembling a bee, that hovers to feed from flowers using its long tongue. Its larvae typically parasitize other insects, especially bees and wasps.
长吻虻，蜜虻
Family Bombyllidae: many genera
Example sentencesExamples
A bee fly is nectaring on the blossom.
I most often see bee flies hovering around flowers, or if resting, usually on the ground, on bare soil.
Bee flies favour warm, and sunny localities
Definition of bee fly in US English:
bee fly
noun
A squat, hairy fly resembling a bee, that hovers to feed from flowers using its long tongue. Its larvae typically parasitize other insects, especially bees and wasps.
长吻虻，蜜虻
Family Bombyllidae: many genera
Example sentencesExamples
I most often see bee flies hovering around flowers, or if resting, usually on the ground, on bare soil.