I was attacked by a robber this morning!
By JJ
@JolietJake (50190)
July 28, 2017 4:20am CST
So Scar had awoken me (per usual) and I blearily stumbled to the front door and let him out, then went into the kitchen to fix my morning coughee..,
...when I was suddenly attacked by a robber!
Well, I don't know if 'attacked' would be the right word to use. 
But he came out of nowhere and suddenly landed on my shoulder!
I kind of freaked out for a moment because I thought it was a wasp or something, but I quickly realized what it was and just shooed it off my shoulder.
And it promptly landed on my other shoulder.
And then on the back of one of my hands.
And then flew off about his business.
Which is why I don't mind him in the house.
You see, they capture house flies and rob them of their inner essences.
They also attack (and eat) many other types of bugs.
Their aggressiveness in hunting and in defending themselves are part of what gave them the name 'robber' flies...they are also known as assassin flies.
I was going to post a photo of him, but he appears to have left...or he's hiding out waiting to catch breakfast.
(Edit: This one was in the house the next day)
But he came out of nowhere and suddenly landed on my shoulder!
I kind of freaked out for a moment because I thought it was a wasp or something, but I quickly realized what it was and just shooed it off my shoulder.
And it promptly landed on my other shoulder.
And then on the back of one of my hands.
And then flew off about his business.
Which is why I don't mind him in the house.
You see, they capture house flies and rob them of their inner essences.
They also attack (and eat) many other types of bugs.
Their aggressiveness in hunting and in defending themselves are part of what gave them the name 'robber' flies...they are also known as assassin flies.
I was going to post a photo of him, but he appears to have left...or he's hiding out waiting to catch breakfast.
(Edit: This one was in the house the next day)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Asilidae Zosteria sp. Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Diptera Suborder: Brachycera Infraorder: Asilomorpha Superfamily: Asiloidea Family:
24 people like this
27 responses
@JolietJake (50190)
•
28 Jul 17
There are over 7,000 different kind world-wide, but I would doubt seeing one in a large city.
4 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
28 Jul 17
@JolietJake Oh, so Manchester is not good enough for these fussy insects.
4 people like this
@JolietJake (50190)
•
28 Jul 17
Pretty sure it saw motion and decided to see what it was...which was me
3 people like this
@JolietJake (50190)
•
28 Jul 17
Quite often if you see one and hold your hand near it, it will come and land on your hand.
3 people like this
@minx267 (15526)
• Hartford, Connecticut
28 Jul 17
@JolietJake well, I don't want to play with it! i am not a bug person... NOPE.. except maybe ladybugs. they are cute
3 people like this
@JolietJake (50190)
•
28 Jul 17
They're about the only bug (besides a praying mantis) that I don't mind seeing in the house.
3 people like this
@LovingMyBabies (85295)
• Valdosta, Georgia
28 Jul 17
Do they bite or sting people? 
If not, then I would welcome them too!
If not, then I would welcome them too!3 people like this
@LovingMyBabies (85295)
• Valdosta, Georgia
28 Jul 17
@JolietJake Well that's a good thing!
3 people like this
@JolietJake (50190)
•
28 Jul 17
They have no stinger and they won't bite unless they feel threatened.
3 people like this
@Juliaacv (54480)
• Canada
28 Jul 17
Here I am reading this and I feared that it was a bat that landed on your shoulder, and I didn't want to know that because you seemed so casual about the entire experience, yet I couldn't stop reading because I hoped that I was wrong.
And I was!
But a bat was first to come to my mind as they eat bugs and possibly house flies.
I'm really glad it wasn't a bat, they are way too creepy for you to be so casual or for you to have flying around in the house.
G'mornin!
4 people like this
@JolietJake (50190)
•
28 Jul 17
I did have a bat roosting up under the dashboard of my van last year...took me a few days to get rid of it, it was pretty weird...
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (50268)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
28 Jul 17
Never heard of robber or assassin flies. Do they bite people the same way horse flies do?
3 people like this
@JolietJake (50190)
•
28 Jul 17
Quite a bit larger. Closer to the size of a wasp.
2 people like this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
28 Jul 17
Well how cool is that @JolietJake . I sure hope I haven't accidentally killed one of them by mistake.
3 people like this
@andriaperry (118728)
• Anniston, Alabama
28 Jul 17
I have never seen one, or if I have did not know it. We have horse flies that bite!
3 people like this
@JolietJake (50190)
•
29 Jul 17
Yeah...back in my oilfield days they were a hazard...there'd you'd be in a cornfield, mindin' yer own business takin' care of 'business' and they would choose that vulnerable moment to attack...
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
28 Jul 17
Oh a good fly he is and he was just saying hello to you
3 people like this
@FourWalls (77973)
• United States
28 Jul 17
That's cool. I thought spiders had the market cornered on liking fly guts (well, them and Andrew Zimmern).
3 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109845)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Jul 17
I guess he didn't find you tasty.
3 people like this
