The Dark-edged Beefly Bombylius major in Essex - a review of
distribution
Neil Harvey 22 West Street, Rowhedge, Essex, C05 7HW - neilh@essexwt.org.uk
Introduction
Early in 2004 I put out a request for records of the Dark-edged Beefly in Essex. The
request stemmed from a planned review of the status of the larger Brachycera - the
group of flies to which beeflies belong - within the county. The intention was two-fold:
firstly to fill in some of the gaps in the known distribution of this common insect and
secondly to stimulate some interest in the larger Brachycera as a whole, encourage the
submission of outstanding records and support further recording. Although it doesn't
produce any startling revelations, this article is in the form of feedback to all those who
submitted records.
Background
The Dark-edged Beefly is the commonest (and only common member) of the beeflies in
Essex. It is a parasite of mining bees in the genus Andrena, laying eggs into and around
the brood tunnels created by these bees. The larvae seek out the stocked tunnels on
hatching and enter an open cell where they wait until the host larva is almost fully grown
before attaching themselves and sucking out body fluids.
The main reasons forusing this species were as follows:
• It can occur wherever there are mining bees, including urban areas and gardens
themselves, where the bare soil of flower beds is frequently used;
• It is easy to identify, with few confusion species particularly as it is only on the
wing in the spring and early summer;
• Adults feed on nectar from a variety of plants, including many garden varieties,
by hovering and using their long proboscis. This makes them relatively
obtrusive.
This is a species that should be all but ubiquitous in the county and should serve as a
useful control to the apparent distribution of other common species of Brachycera.
Methods
A variety of methods were used to encourage recording allowing an interesting
comparison of their relative productivity. These methods were:
• a flyer inserted in the Essex Field Club Spring Newsletter;
• a page on the Essex Field Club website with a form for submitting records
electronically;
• a message put out on the Essex Moth Group's email forum;
• word of mouth (on its own or to back up another method).
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 46, January 2005
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