Bee Enemies for the Novice
Domestic bees are exposed to many hardships and many dangers. Winds and storms can prove as disastrous to a colony as other wildlife – large and small.
Black spiders lie in wait for them in the plants they frequent. Once, as I was looking for a bee amid some goldenrod, I spied a gruesome scene between the two partly concealed under a leaf. The bee’s baskets were full of pollen but it did not move even though it most certainly noticed me.
On lifting up the leaf I discovered that a hairy black spider had ambushed the bee and had him by the throat. The vampire-like spider was definitely afraid of the bee’s sting, and was holding it by the throat until it was completely dead.
In other parts of the world you may hear of a painted lizard as an enemy of the honeybee. In Canada and northern States, I don’t believe that lizard is a native but I am unsure about the southern states. Perhaps one of my readers will add a comment below to help his southern bee keepers or potential keepers.
The tree-toad, however, sits in wait among apple and cherry blossoms, and enjoys snapping up honey bees up in short order!
It’s been said that the titmouse (a small gray bird) and the woodpecker are known for preying on gentle-natured honey bees. I know for certain that the kingbird is also known for this. Kingbirds are excellent at insect removal – better than any purple martin – but the Kingbird only devours the drone bees. The workers are either too small and quick, or else it has learned all too well of their nasty sting!
Most of us have little more than a child’s knowledge of the honey bee. I was surprised at how much I learned and still have to learn when I visited a beekeeper’s apiary last year. Did you know that when two colonies make war upon each other they fly from their hives (led by the kings no less!) and fight in the air, covering the ground with dead and dying honey bees?
We might also learn that tame bees sometimes escape to the woods, an entire colony can go if the beekeeper isn’t mindful and will be lost forever.
Around these parts we have many brown bears and even though they don’t destroy bees individually, they certainly aren’t shy of ruining entire fields of a bee keeper’s hives overnight.
The electric fence will keep the bears back so most keepers simply use a dog as their alarm system and bear deterrent – however this isn’t too pleasant for the dogs!
Check out the beekeeper’s starter kits in the Country Store!
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