The other day I noticed a little blue Damselfly so went back inside and grabbed my camera. When I came back I found this impressive Robber Fly instead. It was probably good for the Damselfly that it had moved on with this character around as Damselflies are a known prey item of these amazing insects.

Asilidae often called Robber Flies or Assassin Flies are powerful predators who often lie in wait in hot sunny areas of the garden. I have noticed this location on sunny flat vegetation is a favorite spot to find them. Robber Flies are truly amazing creatures and I would suspect are overlooked by people but they are fascinating predators of the garden. If you are lucky enough to notice one in the garden there is no need to be alarmed. They are not aggressive or dangerous to people but that said they should not be handled as they can and will defend themselves with a painful bite if threatened. They generally will be sitting motionless scanning the surrounding area for a potential meal.

A Necessary Brute of the Sky

Like any healthy ecosystem top predators like the Robber Fly are necessary to maintain the balance and health of that ecosystem so they are an important part of the garden. Depending on the location some Robber Flies can be very colourful and some even mimic other species like bumblebees. Most Robber Flies are powerfully built and can take down larger prey even having been known to capture and consume other top predators like wasps and dragonflies.  When prey is captured a saliva containing toxin is injected through a powerful piercing proboscis which both paralyzes the prey and at the same time liquefies its tissue. The prey can then be consumed similar to how a spider consumes its prey.

Robber Flies are definitely what I would call Cool and Creepy Critters.