I claim to like bee butts, but not nearly as much as this guy - Stylops melittae is a twisted wing fly, also known as a Fächerflügler, a parasite of Andrena sand bees. This painting is of a male - females retain their pupal form and live most of their lives within their host, who survives the ordeal, albeit greatly subdued. The female's head partially sticks out from between the bee's abdominal segments, releasing a pheromone that attracts males. The larvae hatch inside the female's body, where they consume their mother from within before emerging through the head. The still living host bee then scatters the mobile larvae around flowers, where they can be picked up by unwitting foragers.
