Flies of the genus Cylindromyia belong to the bristle flies family (Tachinidae) and double as master illusionists, having evolved to mimic stinging wasps to deter predators while they forage for nectar. But don’t let their peaceful adult diet fool you; their reproductive cycle is pure sci-fi. A female will intercept an adult stink bug and anchor her eggs directly onto its body. Once hatched, the larvae bore inside the host hard shell. Unlike many parasitic wasps that rapidly kill their prey, Cylindromyia larvae are specialized endoparasitoids. They live inside the host’s body—even overwintering there—keeping the bug alive for as long as possible. From a photographer’s perspective, capturing these beauties is an absolute test of patience. When I encountered a cluster of them, they were frantically darting from flower to flower without pausing for a single second. Because of their erratic, nonstop movement—and the fact that my older macro gear was much more cumbersome to handle back then—nailing a sharp shot proved to be an agonizing challenge.