I come home from school and my stepdad, knowing I’m obsessed with honey bees from my research on CCD (colony collapse disorder) at school, took me outside saying there was a honey bee outside our door. When I say it I died laughing and said no, that’s a fly, but he wouldn’t believe me. I explained to him why it’s not a honey bee and finally he gave in. Is this a deer fly perhaps? Thank you!

Not a deer fly. I would have called it a bee too.

I know it’s not a bee because of the fly-eyes! When we googled it one website said deer fly but then my mom say the bee/fly creature and said it wasn’t a deer fly either! Hmmmmm.

It doesn't look like a deer fly although I can't quite see enough detail - a deer fly would have resting wings in a triangle or delta shape and I can't see if yours has coloured patches on the wing ("picture wing"). What it reminds me of is a syrphid fly and some of those can be very bee-like, for example check out Merodon equestris (it doesn't look like a match for this ID but just for comparison of the features).

https://www.google.ca/search?q...

Is it large? Google 'horse fly.'

Could it be a female Valley Carpenter Bee?

Check out the last photo at this link: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcor...

Thank you all! I know it wasn't a horse fly because I have been bitten by one and know what they look like! I don't believe it was a female carpenter bee because it was not all black, it had some fuzzy golden/brown hairs!

Definitely a fly of some sort.

Hrmmm.....
It's a Hoverfly aka Dronefly... Genus Eristalis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Wow you nailed it!!!

If you hang out on the birds & bees & insects threads you get fast at IDs. You can always tell that there's just something not right with the "wannabees". Usually to me, fly eyes are bigger and scarier, looking more forward. I usually tell kids bee eyes are cute & "bee-dy" compared to the fly.

I knew it couldn't be a carpenter bee, because those things are thicker like a linebacker, with big muscular hairy legs. What you posted had a weird stance with weird looking legs. Flies usually have slightly spindlier & daintier legs compared to the subject they're copying..
This is the best carpenter bee shot I've got:


This would be a male valley carpenter bee... If it's blonde with green eyes, then it must, like, totally be from the Valley y'know what I'm saying?