They are honey bees that have been parasitized by the Zombie Fly Apocephalus borealis. Fly-parasitized honey bees become "ZomBees" showing the "zombie-like behavior" of leaving their hives at night on "a flight of the living dead." Read our discovery paper
The fly is native to most of North America. It has expanded its host range to include the non-native honey bee, the most important pollinator of agricultural crops. Read more
The map uses data from citizen scientists to document localities
where the Zombie Fly is infecting honey bees.
View detailed ZomBee watch
map
Help us find out where in North America the Zombie Fly is infecting honey bees. Tutorial