Sugarcane Soldier Fly

Description:

I thought at first this one was a beetle. It resides around San Francisco and the nearby counties. Introduced to the U.S. over 50 years by accident, it seems restricted to the San Francisco area. The sex of this insect is easy to tell as the females have the orange head while the males have a black head. Found in the front of a house near the entrance.

Habitat:

In a neighborhood although there is a large wooded area nearby, less than a mile or so away.

Notes:

Identified on bugguide.net by Even Dankowicz. http://bugguide.net/node/view/1053884