{"id":3485,"date":"2023-07-22T16:00:42","date_gmt":"2023-07-22T16:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pawel.stefanoff.pl\/bugs\/?p=3485"},"modified":"2026-08-01T15:24:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T15:24:03","slug":"2023-07-giant-tachinid-fly-sweden-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pawel.stefanoff.pl\/bugs\/posts\/2023-07-giant-tachinid-fly-sweden-en\/","title":{"rendered":"A giant tachinid fly looking like a bumblebee found in a forest in Sweden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The giant tachinid fly (<em>Tachina grossa)<\/em> is the undisputed heavyweight of European flies, reaching an impressive length of up to 2 cm. While it mimics both the appearance and the heavy, buzzing flight of a bumblebee to deter predators, it is entirely harmless. Its reproductive cycle, however, is a masterpiece of macabre specialization: females deposit their eggs onto or directly inside large, hairy caterpillars. Upon hatching, the maggot burrows into its host, methodically devouring non-vital organs from the inside out to keep the caterpillar alive and fresh until the very last moment. As adults, these awesome flies leave their gruesome youth behind; they spend most of their time basking in the sun and visiting a wide array of flowers to feast on nectar and pollen, making them highly effective pollinators and vital natural pest controllers. I crossed paths with this magnificent female during a walk through a forest close to my home in J\u00e4rf\u00e4lla, Sweden. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The giant tachinid fly (Tachina grossa) is the undisputed heavyweight of European flies, reaching an impressive length of up to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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