Preying Mantis eating my bees.

[Luminos]

Yes.

 

[Chris Luck]

I would have thought it was more likely one of these.

http://www.buglife.org.uk/discoverbugs/bugofthemonth/The+Devil%E2%80%99s+Coach+Horse

Chris

 

[Luminos]

Hmmm yes but this was something I think Bill Oddie showed on TV a few years ago.
Tiny scorpions.

 

[Chris Luck]

I know there are some pockets of them, just thought the devils do dah was more common, sheds loads round here lately.

Chris

 

[Luminos]

I know there are some pockets of them, just thought the devils do dah was more common, sheds loads round here lately.

Chris

I didn't know the devil had a do dah...

 

[richardbees]

Chris,
give Freddie Starr a ring, he needs a change from hamsters

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Re scorpions in Dover I found one on the beach at Isle of Sheppey which is nearby. It was about 12 years ago. Are we supposed to have scorpions in England?

The only colony of scorpions are at Sheerness docks, apparently they've been there since the time of George III.

http://www.sheernessheritagecentre.com/page37scorpion.htm

read the first line - sounds familiar hmmm?

 

[busybee53]

JBM That explains it (I think). Sheerness is not far from Leysdown beach where I saw the scorpion. The article says they grow to one inch and further down that they grow to two inches. And they are brown. The one I saw was about 3/4 of an inch and black. Perhaps it was a baby. Maybe they have spread further than the professor knows. They would be hard to spot. Not nice to sit on at the seaside though.

 

[thorn]

There used to be a colony of scorpions around the car park at Ongar tube station, and budgies at Margaretting. Essex was a strange and wild place in my youth.
Has the colony of wallabies in the Peak district died out?

 

[Chris Luck]

Now this is really cheeky.

Chris

 

[beekim]

great photos thanks

 

[vermillion]

great photos!

We have geckoes under each hive's rainroof, and often a Cane Spider as well. I have no issue with the former but the latter always surprise the heck out of me. They move like lightning.

I dont have picture of one near the bees but here is one that decided to move indoors...Temporary situation...

I helped her find her way outside with no lasting ill effects for either of us. By the way, those are dinner plates.

 

[Luminos]

Are they poisonous, Vermillion?
The spiders, not the dinner plates.
Obviously.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

They aren't of any concern at all, perhaps a few bees a day at the most, I just thought it was just another nice example of the complexities of the food matrix. Strange looking insects and fascinating to watch in action, very slow and robotic until the grab takes place.

I noticed a Mantis egg sack under the lid of a hive the other day as well.

Chris

Are you Planning to farm those too, I expect fresh taste much better than frozen.

 

[vermillion]

Are they poisonous, Vermillion?
The spiders, not the dinner plates.
Obviously.

Not poisonous, Luminos. They are actually very shy, mostly hunting at night...its how fast they move thats unsettling. And of course how big they can get!

 

[richardbees]

vermillion

have you pasted a black spot onto that spider?