Thefamily Tachinidae contains many large and hairy flies, some resemblingbees. Their larvae parasitize other insects and, as a result, are veryimportant in controlling the abundance of pest species. The female flylays one or more eggs on the surface of the insect host. The larvaethen burrows inside of the body cavity and eats the host from theinside-out. Amazingly, the larvae is able to eat almost all of the hosttissues without killing it. It is only when the larvae is ready tocrawl out of the host body that the host dies.

The Coal Oil Point collection contains eleven morphospecies of Tachnid flies.

Tachind Fly Photos (click to enlarge)
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