Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
thick-headed fly
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Fly pollination
Quizzes
wasp. Vespid Wasp (Vespidaea) with antennas and compound eyes drink nectar from a cherry. Hornets largest eusocial wasps, stinging insect in the order Hymenoptera, related to bees. Pollination
Know Your Bugs Quiz
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Fly pollination
Fly pollination Thick-headed fly (Conops quadrifasciatus) on a flower.

thick-headed fly

insect
Also known as: Conopidae, Conops quadrifasciatus
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

thick-headed fly, (family Conopidae), any member of a family of elongated, wasplike flies (order Diptera) that have a head thicker than the thorax. They are brownish in colour and often have yellow markings. Most are between 6 and 25 mm (0.2 and 1 inch) long.

All species have a long, slender proboscis (feeding organ) that in some species is elbow-shaped. Eggs are deposited on or in host insects such as adult wasps, bumblebees, or grasshoppers, on which the larvae feed.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.