Spot the flies!

June 2, 2025 • 9:00 am

Reader Gregory sent us what may be the hardest “spot-the” photo ever.  There are two flies in this photo, but I’ll let Gregory describe the scene:

While kayak camping on the Kansas River this weekend, we were entertained by the energetic searching of a spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) seeking a spider to paralyze and oviposit on. However, following the spider were small flies, which turn out to be satellite flies, a subfamily of Sarcophagidae (flesh flies). The larvae of the flies are kleptoparasites and feed on prey captured by solitary wasps like the spider wasp. So the adult female flies were following the spider wasp to lay their eggs on the paralyzed spider and use it for their young.
There are two flies in the photo.

Good luck. If you find them, just say so in the comments but don’t tell people where they are! As I said, this will take some searching, so I suggest you enlarge the photo.   The reveal will be at 11 a.m. Chicago time.

11 thoughts on “Spot the flies!

  1. I found a piece of fluff and an alien-looking yellow dot with a dimple in the middle. But I did not find any flies.

    So the adult female flies were following the spider wasp to lay their eggs on the paralyzed spider and use it for their young

    I am an arachnophobe, so part of me wants to say, “they have it coming.” But the other part is thinking, “this is too much, even for spiders.”

  2. The second fly is hard, I only got it by pattern-matching from the first fly. Without that, no chance!

  3. Found one…. maybe the other…

    You know – this is a good exercise for chess, believe it or not. Sort of have to focus and not lose your nerve.

    It’s like “wax on, wax off” (Mr. Miyagi) but it’s for chess.

    #RevealingMyAge

    UPDATE :

    No way – Totally fooled by the fork by the knight— I mean, the other insect carrying the crab.

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