Every year at just about this time, I make a mental note to start examining the flowers for the presence of a "bee" that is, in fact, not a bee. To sure, this creature appears to be, at first glance, a dead ringer for one of those humble hymenopterans, a.k.a., the bumblebee. But a closer examination reveals that the insect has only two wings, not four, so it's clearly a member of the Diptera—and a bee mimic, rather than the real thing. Bombylius major, the Greater Bee Fly, is also a species of parasite that follows real bees back to their nest tunnels in the ground and then flicks eggs in the direction of the entrances. With any fly luck, the eggs will hatch into larvae that find their way into bee nurseries and, after eating through the pantry items left for bee youngsters, devour the bee-lings. I look forward to spotting Bee flies. Bees, however, are not happy about the encounter.