Black Horsefly

Black Horsefly

I saw the largest horsefly I have ever seen the other day.  It was all black and I learned later it is named, appropriately, The Black Horsefly.  It was over an inch long.

Black Horsefly

My guess would be that this is a male.  

I read that the males feed on nectar while females feed on blood.  The female, like the female mosquito, needs the blood meal to nourish developing eggs.  When the eggs hatch, the larvae drop down into water or moist soil.  They progress through 6 to 9 instars at which time they pupate.  That stage lasts for 1 to 3 weeks.  (University of Michigan) 

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