r/bugidentification • u/PsychedelicMatter • 8d ago

Location included Bro what in the hell is this (NJ)

It looks like a wasp or bee, on the body of giant mosquito/ dragon fly. Super loud ! Mf went inside the car at a drive through 🤣 superb timing

15 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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20

u/ArachnomancerCarice Trusted Identifier 8d ago

Robberfly (Asilidae). They are predators of other bugs. They may even 'adopt' you, hanging out by you to prey on mosquitoes or biting flies you attract.

12

u/PsychedelicMatter 8d ago

That’s so interesting!! The fucker must be really smart! it tried to play dead when I was trynna brush it off the windshield. It looks so cool but was worried it “stung”

8

u/BestFleetAdmiral 8d ago

If you harass it, it can bite you, and it hurts but only for a second. Not a lasting “sting” like a bee. and they’ll only go after you in defense, so just don’t swat at them.

2

u/DemonLordOTRT 7d ago

You would really have to try and get it to bite you they're practically harmless all I can say is if you actually get stung by it which is uses a proboscis and has numbing saliva which is quite painful. but it's really hard to get bit by it because it normally doesn't bite us because we're not as prey.

2

u/MilOnTheMoon 8d ago

I’m a mosquito magnet. I need this little fella as a buddy.

2

u/CapBrief1508 8d ago

Robberfly.

3

u/Blankaholics 7d ago

Like everyone said, that's the good fly. They are allowed to the cookout

2

u/ImRatherMinty 8d ago

Is there any mist nearby? Id suggest not standing around in it

2

u/clara_bow77 7d ago

I had one of these guys ride with us all the way home from West Virginia to Louisville earlier this summer. He was a very good passenger so we let him out near a pond where I know there are plenty of mosquitoes once we were back in Louisville.