Bug FAQAster Bee Fly
Sparnopolius confusus · Order: Diptera · Family: Bombyliidae
The Aster bee fly is a small insect, measuring about 6 to 9 mm long. It occurs across most of the United States and into parts of Mexico. Its larvae develop as parasitoids inside June beetles of the genus Phyllophaga.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are 6 to 9 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The species is a parasitoid of June beetles (Phyllophaga).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found throughout most of the United States and in parts of Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Missouri, New York, Kansas, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the Aster bee fly feed on?
Its larvae parasitize June beetles (Phyllophaga).
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the Aster bee fly found?
It lives in most of the United States and parts of Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Bombyliidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparnopolius_confusus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.