Robber flies 4, Other species nil
January 15, 2013
Starters – Beetle Brioche
Following on from a recent post (click HERE to view) describing the gruesome eating habits of Robber flies (family Asilidae) I have noticed many of these creatures flying around laden with their meals.
Robber flies capture their meals while in flight, then pierce their bodies and inject them with saliva. The saliva has the effect of first paralysing the victim then liquefying its insides. This ‘insect thickshake’ is then sucked out.
Entree – Grasshopper Gratin
Although hard to get close to when feeding (they are very protective about their dinners) here are a few pictures of robber flies dining out.
Dessert – Cicada Slurpee
Mains – Fly Fricassee
5 Comments
leave one →
Focus On Fauna 
Robber flies are fascinating insects; their loud, buzzing flight always draws my attention. They are certainly top-order insect predators in our garden. We appear to have the same species up here (http://strathbogierangesnatureview.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/robberflies-eat-cockchafers/). It’s unfortunate their name implies some sort of cheating or foul play to catch their prey, when they’re actually honest, hard working predators.
Fantasic photography and love the gourmet descriptions!