Diptera: Asilidae
Identification
• Robber flies have hairy bodies and powerful piercing-sucking mouthparts.
The tops of their heads behind the eyes are hollowed out. Robber flies
usually have long, tapering abdomens.
• Most are 1/2 - 1 inch long.
Host Range
• Both adults and larvae are predatory and adults feed on small insects—leafhoppers,
small beetles, wasps, bees, and grasshoppers. Larvae feed on small, soil-inhabiting
insects.
Life Cycle
• Robber flies have complete metamorphosis and larvae and pupae live
in the soil. Robber flies have 1 generation per year.
Other information
• Robber flies feed on beneficial as well as pest species.
• Adults, if handled, can give humans a painful bite.