Do swallows eat bees?

[Chris Luck]

Swallows do not eat the workers, they will sometimes take drones, hoverflies etc. They do not and can not take the bees that sting.

All the other birds that have been mentioned in this thread do not eat bees unless they are well and truly dead.

Chris

 

[susbees]

Just picked up a very dead swallow from under the cherry tree outside the house (scene setting ). Can't believe a beak that short and mouth that small could deal with a drone on the wing. Mosquitoes and gnats are surely less likely to induce choking!

In addition drones on the wing are pretty solid creatures so not very easy to get a grip of. How does anyone know they aren't taking any of the other zillion flying creatures around the hives?

One of the saddest things I've seen bird-wise recently was a FB photo from a beekeeper who used to have hives in The Philippines. They used to shoot bee-eaters with an air rifle and line them up much as you still sometimes see with crows here. Now whilst I can see that these birds could cause economic trouble there must be a better way....

 

[huntsman666]

My chickens don't bother my bees, drones and all. Not sure if they clean up the dead ones as my hives are on wood chips and it's hard to notice. Must give them a few dead ones to see if they'll even eat them in that condition.

Now chickens as everyone knows, love most insects. Great fun watching them chase down the crane flies as they emerge in August.

So if they won't touch live bees they have a very good reason - not to get stung. Swallows IMO must have the same street cred.

 

[bushman1872]

I'm wondering if swallows got my virgin queens both hives raised several new queens and hatched them and yet none have returned!! I have just had to combine 4 hives to make 2.

 

[ringtor]

Yes. I have to hang old CDs on a string over my hives as otherwise they dive bomb them. With the CDs they only get the odd bee.

 

[Chris Luck]

Shrikes will take bees, not that common in the UK these days.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/redbackedshrike/index.aspx

Chris

 

[Winker]

I'm wondering if swallows got my virgin queens both hives raised several new queens and hatched them and yet none have returned!! I have just had to combine 4 hives to make 2.