Who can eat a bee? Bee-eating birds and everything about them
Enemies of bees often become a problem for any beekeeper. Due to their influence, the condition of the hive deteriorates, the amount of honey decreases, and the death of bees is often observed. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to monitor the apiary and understand which representatives of the environment can cause harm. Enemies of bees are found everywhere. These can be insects, birds and other animals.
Enemies of bees among insects
Bee pests of this group are the most numerous. This is due to the great diversity of insects in the world. The impact of insects on bees can be very different. Some of them are engaged in the destruction of hives. Others prefer to feast on the “hard workers.” The main representatives of bees' enemies among insects are wasps and hornets.
Many people think that wasps and hornets are close relatives of bees. This is true, but these insects are classified as robbers. Due to their larger size and strength, they attack distant brothers, take away honey and eat it with pleasure. At the same time, wasps and hornets prefer to destroy weak families.
Arachnids
Typical predators who are not averse to eating not only bees, but also the aforementioned wasps, as well as hornets. Hunters prefer to attack while collecting pollen. The greatest danger is represented by salpugs - they are the number one enemy of bees. The light-colored spider is distinguished by its size (approximately 70 mm in length) and usually hunts at night.
Ants
Ants settle close to the hives, regularly robbing them. Raids are carried out in large groups. The main goal of ants is honey. Although insects do not refuse bee larvae. Because of this, the indirect extinction of bees occurs, since such events have a bad effect on the life of the entire hive.
Wax moths are a real headache for beekeepers. The larva lays eggs in the hive. After this, the wax begins to deteriorate. As a consequence, deterioration of food and brood. This leads to serious bee diseases.
Bugs
Bugs are very unpredictable harmful insects. Usually they are no more than 8 mm. They settle in the lower part of the hive and are distinguished by their agility.
Feathered
The death of bees is not only the result of insects. Birds are also not averse to feasting on striped “hard workers”. Not all species prefer to hunt bees. However, it is the birds that cause the greatest harm.
The golden bee-eater is a small bird that attracts visitors with its bright plumage and large beak. It seems to be a cute and beautiful creature. But behind the beauty lies the terrible gluttony of this bird. One bee-eater can destroy approximately 1 thousand insects daily.
European bee eater
Representatives are distinguished by their two-tone brown color. The size of the bird is about 60 cm. They hunt in flocks, attacking bees in the opposite direction, destroying them in large numbers.
The gray shrike eats mainly pollen collectors. Its length is approximately 30 cm, the color is dark gray with white accents on the abdomen and shoulders. Birds settle close to the apiary.
Other animals
Some species of the animal world are also pests of bees. Some animals destroy insects. Others spoil the hives and carry various diseases. Still others are not averse to enjoying fresh honey.
Mouse-like enemies of bees
This includes mice and rats. These animals can chew through hives, thereby disturbing the climate balance. In addition, they carry a variety of viruses and infections. Mice consume both bees and honey.
Hamsters
This includes small-sized rodents that live in field conditions. Voles are typical representatives of this family. Animals prefer to live in hives, driving out insects. Lizards actively hunt for individual individuals of the bee family. The lizard feeds mainly on working insects. An animal can destroy a couple of dozen bees per day. The lizard waits in ambush for insects when they return after collecting.
Measures to combat bee enemies
The beekeeper must always monitor the condition of the hives and evaluate the behavior of insects. It is worth inspecting the surrounding area for the presence of enemy hives, holes and nests. If detected, the enemies of the bees must be poisoned. Birds can be driven away using stuffed animals.
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Almost all insectivorous birds are dangerous to bees. But some species are able to practically destroy an apiary.
European bee-eater
A very beautiful small (up to 25 cm) bird. The most dangerous bird for beekeeping, as its diet consists of 80-90% bees. One individual can eat 700-1000 bees per day, which it catches well on the fly, but also in a field or apiary. Doesn't react to stings, maybe doesn't even notice. It lives in colonies, digging burrows in the ground, usually on steep slopes of rivers and ravines. When flying away at the end of the season, it seals the nest with a clay plug and returns to the same place next year.Destructive for apiaries. A colony of birds next to the apiary quickly harasses all the flying bees. Since the bee-eater is listed in the Red Book, it cannot be destroyed.
Bee-eater (buzzard)
Quite a large (European - up to 60 cm) bird from the hawk family. As the name implies, it feeds mainly on hymenoptera - bees, wasps, bumblebees. Lives alone.
Shrikes
Of the shrike family, 9 species are found in Russia. They belong to the order of passeriformes and have a powerful, hook-like beak, more typical of hawks, falcons, and owls, but the claws on their feet are less developed. When cutting large prey, they often pin it on tweezers or wire for ease of tearing. They live alone. Often seen on poles and lonely trees. In addition to insects, they feed on small mammals and birds, lizards, and amphibians.
Swallows
There are 75 species in total, 10 are found in Russia. It flies well, catches insects mainly in flight, and often flies into nesting buildings through broken windows, cracks, and small holes. Barn swallows glue their nests under attics, the material is lumps of dirt reinforced with hair and straws. They build it in pairs, literally in a few days. The chicks are fed with lumps of insects glued together with saliva, and huge quantities are caught. If only we limited ourselves to harmful ones...
Control measures
The biggest difficulties lie in the fact that birds are not 100% pests... If, when destroying the Colorado potato beetle, your neighbors will always (or almost always) support you, then the glory of a nest destroyer is even that glory... The golden bee-eater is perhaps the most beautiful bird in Russia, and the number of harmful insects destroyed by the swallow is enormous. Some species are rare, and people who harm birds or destroy their nests have not been considered good since ancient times, and were not an example to follow... Accordingly, the better you manage to fight birds, the less your neighbors will respect you (on average, exceptions are possible) .- Scare away birds of prey with screams. or
repel bee-eaters. You can use a bird repeller for this.
- The principle of operation of the bird repeller is based on alternately playing the hunting calls of birds of prey - hawk, eagle, falcon, owl in order to scare and drive away unwanted birds from your apiary. This effective and at the same time humane method will allow you to drive away not only birds that destroy bees, but also other dangerous and harmful animals for the apiary, such as rats and mice.
- Hanging long objects that shine in the sun: unwound foil from a transformer, pieces of unnecessary video tape, old CDs. Helps to protect apiaries, honey fields and the road there cannot be protected this way.
- Hang pieces of red fabric. As with wolf hunting, such flaps can scare away birds. They may not have any effect; a wolf, for example, is not always afraid to jump over flags. It's worth a try.
- Loud sounds. Hitting the pelvis, exploding firecrackers, setting up a scarecrow, and shooting from a gun help drive them away, but often not for long.
- Kill several birds and hang them near the apiary. Effective. True, we must be careful that cats, for example, do not get to the corpses. And the air, like those boots by Tikhon, does not ozone: birds do the most damage in the summer, and at this time the meat quickly decomposes...
- Shooting. Helps, but ammo is expensive. It makes sense to combine them: kill several and hang them near the apiary. Birds are smart enough to associate shots and corpses with danger.
- Destroy the nests. Very effective. You can hire the neighborhood boys. It is effective to get to the bee-eater colony and place lit cotton wool in the burrows and seal the entrance. It is fraught with quarrels with other representatives of the species Homo sapiens. Especially from the “expressors of the aspirations of the people” who do not have an apiary.
- Run away. Together with the apiary. Or don’t go, don’t plant an apiary next to the bee-eater colony. It helps, however, without bees you can’t collect honey. And an unpleasant feeling remains, as after any defeat, not necessarily in a fight against birds. We take into account the obvious consideration: the closer the apiary is located to the nesting site of birds, the more dangerous it is for the bees. And more of them will die.
- Make protective devices. Various devices have been invented to protect against birds. Like, for example, in the video
Alas, birds may divide insects into tasty and tasteless, but definitely not into harmful and beneficial for humans. The protection of your bees, as well as the limits of actions permissible for this protection, are up to you to determine.
When arranging hives, it is necessary to take into account not only the location of plantings and forests, but also the nests of some birds. Not all birds eat bees, but some of them can significantly reduce the size of a colony. Because of this, you will incur losses and receive a minimum of honey and other bee products. The most dangerous bird is the bee-eater.
These birds differ in size from other birds. The body is slightly larger than that of a crow and can reach a length of 60 cm. The plumage differs between males and females. Most often the color of birds is brown. Females have yellow stripes on their tails, while males have white stripes.
Bee-eaters usually live in forests and forest-steppe. They build nests in May, sometimes settling in abandoned bird houses. It is worth noting that bees are the main food of this type of bird; they also eat wasps, bumblebees, sometimes lizards and small frogs.
How to fight a bee eater?
You cannot destroy nests or kill birds. This species was recently listed in the Red Book. If you have a nomadic apiary, simply transport the hives to a new location. In addition, mesh barriers can be installed. Although in most cases the predator does not approach the hive, but catches the bees on the way home.
What birds eat bees?
Birds that eat bees:
- tits;
- swallows;
- beetle;
- shrike;
- golden bee-eater.
As you can see, there are many people who want to eat insects from your apiary. Some of them specially fly to the hives in winter. To lure the bees out, they tap the house with their beaks.
The best option for controlling bee eaters is to move the hives. In winter, to prevent swallows and tits from destroying insects, you need to hang feeders on trees. From time to time, do not forget to add grains and bread. The most interesting thing is that in the summer the net does not help, because the birds catch prey not far from the hives.
The bee-eater is a dangerous predator that eats bees and bumblebees. Insect poison does not affect them. One individual can destroy 2-3% of an insect family. But since birds fly in flocks, they can disrupt the honey collection. That is why, if you notice a significant reduction in the colony, change the location of the hives. You can play a recording of the Hobby Falcon's voice from time to time. Bee-eaters are afraid of this bird of prey.
Any beekeeper has to deal with the enemies of his “wards”. These include birds that eat bees. There are several types of them. The owner should know as much as possible about them, otherwise the apiary will suffer significant economic damage.
There are 2 types of bee-eaters common in Russia. The first one can be seen in the European part. Its length is 60 cm, the color is varied. The bird begins to build nests in May. It feeds on Hymenoptera. To feed themselves, the birds live in the fields, in the main summer areas of the working bees. They exterminate insects en masse. The larger bee-eater lives in Primorye, Irkutsk region and Sakhalin.
The beekeeper must take the following measures to combat the destruction of insects:
- scaring;
- changing the location of the apiary;
- prevention of placing the house in places where birds gather.
What other birds eat bees?
European bee-eater
The European bee-eater is a small insectivorous bird that flies in flocks. She has a bright golden neck and a bluish-green belly. Its length is 25 cm. These birds roost on trees, bushes, wires, fences, and telegraph poles. When they fly, it may seem that they are a swallow or a swift. It is easy for a beekeeper to recognize them from a decent distance, since these birds emit a strong cry in the air.
On calm, fine days, bee-eaters hunt at a decent height, on windy days - at an average height, and on rainy days - at a minimum. During cloudy periods, birds can attack apiaries. They are located on the arrival boards of the hives and snatch insects from the entrances. In sunny times, bees feed on them while flying. Bee-eaters destroy many hard-working insects, significantly reducing their performance during honey collection. If the birds have no other food, then in a day they are capable of destroying about seven hundred to thousand individuals. Research shows that when bee-eaters are located near an apiary, of the total number of birds eaten, 80% are bees. Insect poison does not affect birds. Measures to combat them should be the same as in the case of the bee eater.
Golden bee-eater caught an insect
Shrikes
Shrikes also destroy insects. There are several types of them. Most often, insects suffer from:
- gray (length up to 27 cm);
- red (length 20 cm);
- red-headed (length 18 cm);
- black-fronted (length 24 cm).
This species is voracious. Birds settle near apiaries, causing them significant damage. They need to be dealt with in the same way as with previous pests. They do not eat insects right away, but store them on bush thorns. These birds also cause damage to beekeepers. They belong to the passerine family. They have small limbs, a wide beak and long wings. These birds can feed on food, flies, butterflies and often choose bees as a treat. Swallows' nests are located along river valleys and forest edges. You can also meet them in populated areas.
Other bee eaters
They hunt bees and birds from the order of falcons. They can wait for insects on branches near the apiary. For example, the honey-buzzard falcon lies in wait for bees with pollen or nectar, since they fly more slowly due to the load. These insects become victims. In another way, this bird is called kobets or choglok.
Summer enemies of bees are swifts, which are considered the fastest birds in the world. The beekeeper needs to place the hives away from their habitats. In winter, tits experience hunger and try to find any source of food. In an apiary, they can choose one house and periodically attack it. Birds choose the house with the loudest buzz. Their attack is divided into several stages:
- Knocking beaks near open entrances, causing the buzzing to intensify. When a bee flies out, the tit tracks the prey and grabs it, but does not do this in flight.
- Pecking at the mesh bottom (if there is one), from under which you can smell the smell of death.
- Repeat the first step until complete silence occurs (if it is impossible to damage the bottom).
The tits will not be able to eat all the bees from the house, but the colony will begin to worry and by spring will become the weakest. A good defense against these enemies is a “veranda” made of slats, which is fixed opposite the entrance. With this design, the birds will knock, but the insects will not hear them. Flycatcher birds also pose a danger to them.
Bees have many enemies, and many birds are not averse to feasting on them. To avoid this, the beekeeper must take appropriate measures, otherwise he will suffer significant financial loss.
The bee-eater (buzzard) is a large bird of prey, reaching a length of up to 65 cm. The color of the back is dark brown, the belly is light, with dark brown spots; feeds on wasps, bees, bumblebees, etc.
Having attacked the “airway” of bees, along which they fly from the apiary to the honeybees, the bee-eater destroys them in very large numbers. Grabbing the bee across the body with its beak, it bites off the tip of its abdomen along with the sting, after which it swallows its prey. Bee-eaters stop hunting bees only when their crops are full of them.
Golden bee-eater, or bee-eater (Merops apiaster). It feeds on large insects, which are caught mainly in flight. Beekeepers really do not like this beautiful bird because flocks of beetles sometimes hunt bees. Without fear of a sharp sting, the bee-eater even catches hornets and other large wasps.
The shrike is an insectivorous bird. It is more common in the south and central zone of the USSR. Hunts mainly for large insects. Shrikes eat huge numbers of bees, and when storing food, they impale them on the needles and thorns of plants.
Flycatchers - birds grab and eat bees, flies, and other insects in flight. If flycatchers settle near an apiary, they can cause great harm to the bee colony.
Sidewalk spiders are lurking predators. They eat large numbers of bees and insects. Side-walking spiders of the genus Misumena lie in wait for bees on flowers. They use the brightly colored flower as their hunting hide.
Mantises wait for bees on flowers, when a bee appears near the mantises, he immediately begins to watch his prey, creeps up to it and, choosing the moment, grabs it with the pincers of one of his dexterous legs, and then the other.
Salpugs - spiders - are very voracious. They wait for bees near the hives and attack them. In California, there have been cases where salpugs have devastated many hives by eating bees. They grab prey with lightning speed, hold it tightly, tear it apart and crush it with their chelicerae.
Toads are the enemies of bees. In the evening, during rain or bad weather, they come close to the hive and lick the bees from the entrance with their tongue.
Gray toads grab bees and at the end of the day, when it gets cool, they jump to the hive to hunt. To repel toads, the grass near the hives is periodically mowed, in which they hide and wait out the heat.
The enemies of bees are frogs. They lie in wait for bees near water bodies. And also near the hives
before the rain. Frogs come close to the hive entrances. The frog's tongue, thrown forward with lightning speed, grabs them and sends them into the mouth. She shoots at insects with her long, strong tongue, forked at the end, stunning them. It is sticky and bees and insects stick to it. The tongue also replaces her teeth; in the mouth it is attached in a very unique way - to the front part of the upper palate, and its end is lowered into the throat.
Farangis~taffy~