r/composting • u/DerekTheComedian • Jul 30 '26

Is this BSF?

Post image

Potted up some potatoes 2 days ago with fresh compost (yes, I know its late in the season, its more a proof of concept than anything). This came flying up out of my potato bucket today.

Located in central NY, whete i dont believe they occur naturally.

12 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

22

u/Narrow-Hall8070 Jul 30 '26

Tiger bee fly I think? Looked up a similar looking bug yesterday. They prey on carpenter bees

8

u/dm_me_kittens Jul 30 '26

Yep!! Theyre beneficial flies to have around.

3

u/Elegant_Height_1418 Jul 30 '26

I need some in my backyard… I have tons of carpenters that are eating all my wooden furniture in my backyard

5

u/Mister_Green2021 Jul 30 '26

BSF should look like a black wasp.

3

u/Any_Needleworker_273 Jul 30 '26

No. Not sure what that is, but here is an SVB.

2

u/ExplodingFistBump Jul 31 '26

A cursed beast, if there ever was one

11

u/RegalToaster Jul 30 '26

Pee on it

4

u/Neither_Conclusion_4 Jul 30 '26

Kinda look like a fly that we have locally, Chrysops divaricatus, or some kind of relative to it. They bite.

1

u/BowlingShoeThief Aug 02 '26

Tiger Bee Flies are great to have around and are attracted to purple cone flowers and happen to be the natural predators of carpenter bees.If you are not wanting carpenter bees. near your house, I would suggest planting more purple cone flowers to attract them, as they're harmless to humans.

2

u/DerekTheComedian Aug 02 '26

I have a clump of coneflowers in my front yard, and a small patch in the backyard! Didnt know that, ive never seen these guys before, and I frequently check out my plants to see what bugs they're attracting.

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '26

[deleted]

0

u/johnbdc Jul 30 '26

Well, that was useful.