Beautifull Swifts..... predating on Bees ?

[stucat]

I doubt very much a swift or any other bird will take bee's with the odd exception to the migratory Bee eater..

I have half a dozen swallows nesting in outhouses every year. No doubt at all they go for bees, strafing runs down a row of hives, less than 2m of the ground and no more than 2m from(always) the front of hive. They've been doing the same with the mating bives, they are in 4 groups of 4 and the swallows fly circles, using the hives as turning marks.

I'm 100% sure they're taking bees and fairly sure its their preferred fair weather food, evenings they tend to follow the lake and marsh chasing mosquitoes and such.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I doubt very much a swift or any other bird will take bee's with the odd exception to the migratory Bee eater..

No doubt at all [Swallows] they go for bees, strafing runs down a row of hives,

And so do robins, great tits and blue tits. They sit in the hedge near the hive and wait for a tasty bee to arrive, then they catch and eat it. Blackbirds will eat bees too, although they don't do it as often because they don't seem quite as agile near the hives.

 

[Stiffy]

Stiffy,
you can get a cd with swift calls on it to attract them to your nest boxes, you play it in May ( for use the current year) & end of July (I think) to attract juveniles who will hopefully use it the following year.
You can purchase the cd from the Action for Swifts website.

Dave

Dave

Thanks Dave, I have the CD and annoy my neighbours each year playing it out my bedroom window. Just need swifts in my area.
S


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Millet]

I have half a dozen swallows nesting in outhouses every year. No doubt at all they go for bees, strafing runs down a row of hives, less than 2m of the ground and no more than 2m from(always) the front of hive. They've been doing the same with the mating bives, they are in 4 groups of 4 and the swallows fly circles, using the hives as turning marks.

I'm 100% sure they're taking bees and fairly sure its their preferred fair weather food, evenings they tend to follow the lake and marsh chasing mosquitoes and such.

My hive lives on a farm cottage with a very high population of Swallow's nesting around the farm in all the stables and out building's.. if they took bee's my hive would have been empty long ago.. and the bumble bee population would not be so high either.. maybe it's all down the the food available in each area..