Ferruginous Bee-Grabber

Ferruginous Bee-Grabber

Sicus ferrugineus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at London

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

200 Verified sightings at London
5 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Ferruginous Bee-Grabber

Sicus ferrugineus is a species of fly from the genus Sicus in the family Conopidae. This species is common throughout much of Europe. These conopids mainly inhabit hedgerows and flower meadows. The adults grow up to 8–13 millimetres (0.31–0.51 in) long. The body is mainly reddish-brown or yellow-brown. The head is yellow, quite large and inflated-looking, with a kind of bubble at the front and narrow cheeks. The short antennae are brown, their second segment has the same length or it is longer than the third. The large eyes are reddish. The legs and also the last abdomen segments are often darkened. The abdomen is long, round in cross-section, the seventh segment is oblong and conical. When in resting position the abdomen is usually folded forward. In the females theca is hardly distinguishable. The wings are transparent, but reddish-yellow colored at the base.

They can be encountered from May through September, feeding on nectar or pollen of various Asteraceae species (Hieracium pilosella, Thistle, Cirsium species, etc.), Apiaceae species (Parsley Petroselinum sp,. Heracleum sphondylium), Onagraceae (Chamerion angustifolium... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 Brussels 🇧🇪 Belgium
<5%
5 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
6 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
7 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
<5%
8 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
9 Paris 🇫🇷 France
<5%
10 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Ferruginous Bee-Grabber in London?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ferruginous Bee-Grabber sighting in London on a given day, based on 200 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 171st most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Ferruginous Bee-Grabber in London?

June

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Ferruginous Bee-Grabber in London on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Ferruginous Bee-Grabber?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ferruginous Bee-Grabber sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is London the best place to see a Ferruginous Bee-Grabber?

Yes

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Ferruginous Bee-Grabber sightings, London has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).

Where does the Ferruginous Bee-Grabber sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ferruginous Bee-Grabber is recorded against all the insects logged in London (200 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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