this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] turdas@suppo.fi 52 points 2 days ago (7 children)

The larval stages are predators or parasitoids of the eggs and larvae of other insects. The adult females usually deposit eggs in the vicinity of possible hosts, quite often in the burrows of beetles, wasps, or solitary bees.

Larvae live parasitically in the nests of various solitary bees and wasps.[2] When the fly larva locates a host larva, it will consume it slowly, greatly increasing in size as it tightly holds onto the host, eventually becoming a pupa and overwintering.[9]

haha yeah, adorable

[–] ynthrepic@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I mean we consider human babies adorable, and they can grow up do some pretty horrid things. Also cats.

[–] fascicle@leminal.space 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I guess if human babies attached and ate a host slowly before getting huge we wouldn't think of them as adorable. These flies are us in reverse, they start horrible then grow into teddy bears of the sky

[–] zedgeist@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

What do you think being pregnant is?

[–] ynthrepic@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

And parenthood.

[–] fascicle@leminal.space 1 points 1 day ago

Oh yeah that's true!

we consider human babies adorable

Tbf, there's a lot of people that don't find babies cute

[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

They kinda look like adult botflies too lol. Why do the most horrific things grow up to be so cute?

[–] RogueBanana@piefed.zip 4 points 2 days ago

Me posing for a mugshot cutely after commiting horrific murder.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago

You could make the human reproductive process sound pretty gross, too. But then we get all horned up, and it sounds like a great idea!

Sounds like nature stuff idk. Is cute though.

[–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

Ladybug is adorbs, but they're a demonkin if you're something they eat.

[–] Ophrys@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Look, if you decide to be a beetle, you know the risks!

[–] I_am_10_squirrels@beehaw.org 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Statistically speaking, you're more likely to be a beetle than anything else

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

robber fly, its basically the fly version of dragonfly, they love to intercept mosquitos and other fly prey. there is a quite a few parasitoid flies, that attacks different insect hosts. the strangest ones are BAT FLies, which has no wings and are mostly blind.

[–] CatAssTrophy@safest.space 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why would bat flies have no wings? Bats famously have wings!

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

bat flies, have evolved to cling to bat fur, they look like freaky spiders. apparently they are considered parasites on bats.

[–] CatAssTrophy@safest.space 1 points 1 day ago

Oh, that's fair. I just vaguely assumed they were called bat flies because someone once upon a time thought they looked kinda like the fly version of some sorts of bats, but obviously didn't bother looking into that.