Hi there! I hiked the Bridle Trail at the West Woods today and saw what might be a wasp pick up a small white moth, then fly up onto a leaf with it. It was such a weird thing to see that I took a picture that I'm attaching here. What on earth did I see? I stared at them for a minute but didn't perceive movement like eating or anything. I'm very curious! Hope you can help!
Greetings!
The insect you discovered is a species of robber fly. Many of the robber flies mimic bees and wasps to try and dissuade predators. However, these flies are voracious predators themselves! They capture other insects for food, such as the moth in your picture. To eat, robber flies have a powerful proboscis, which acts as a piercing straw (think how a mosquito bites you) used to suck the juices from their insect prey.
-Naturalist Andy Avram
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