Honey bees are famed for their hard work and skills. They are also armed with stings that terrorize us. That is why you will find beekeepers covered from head to toe to evade the wrath of the bees. The stings are also a way of defense mechanism for them. Regardless of the stings, they have predators that prey on them. As a beekeeper, you must be aware of them to keep your colony healthy and thriving. Most predators happen to be wild animals and insects. Some animals, like dogs, eat bees by mistake. This can kill them at times, but if it survives, a lesson is engraved in them that causes them to treat bees with respect. 

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What animal kills bees?

Bears

This is one of the most gruesome of all bee predators. They can destroy a whole colony by ripping hive parts apart. Besides the honey, they really enjoy brood to satisfy their protein quest. Once they locate an apiary, they keep on visiting, and it can be hard to control them. Beekeepers in areas with bears can use anything from chicken wire to electric fences to protect their colonies.

Honey Badgers

Honey badgers are known to eat honey bee larvae more than honey. They also enjoy eating stored comb. They use claws and teeth and forcefully break through the hive’s lid. Their attack causes honey bee colonies to abscond. 

Skunks

Skunks enjoy eating bees. They actually suck on the bees and spit out the body parts that are not palatable to them. Skunks usually collect bees from the lower hive entrance; raising it a few feet off the ground will save the amazing buzzing creatures. They feed on large numbers of bees and mainly attack hives in spring. 

Baboons

Baboons raid hives in a funny way and work as a team. The first baboon may remove the lid and escape. They watch from a distance. Once the hive settles, another will rush, rip the hive open and remove some honey frames. As the cycle repeats, a whole apiary may be destroyed.  

Other Bee Predators

Birds

There are at least 24 species of birds that are known to eat bees, but the most common ones come from the bee-eater family. They are usually beautiful birds with bright colors and long beak ideal for bee catching. Some birds include kingfishers, swallows, swifts, mockingbirds, and martins. Bee-eaters are skillful hunters and attack bees in mid-flight, smashing them on hard surfaces to remove stingers before enjoying their meal. These may also locate drone aggregation areas and feast on them since they don’t have stings. Honey guides survive by eating combs and bees. They are known for guiding honey badgers or baboons to beehives and encouraging them to rob so that they can benefit. 

Insects

Wasps, yellow jackets, dragonflies, hornets, robber flies, praying mantis, and spiders are predators. Yellow jackets will prey on bees, even in the hives. Others, like praying mantis and spiders, eat bees on flowers as they forage. They hide amongst bees’ favorite flowers to catch them off-guard. Some insects even change color to camouflage against the flowers. Spiders are famed for hunting bees by trapping them on their web. Hornets and wasps may even take larvae and young bees to feed their young ones and raid the nectar stores. Their stings paralyze a bee making it defenseless.  When raising young ones, they can make tunnels on the ground and use dead or paralyzed honey bees as a bed for their eggs. Developing larvae feed on dead bodies. 

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Hive Beetles

Small hive beetles infiltrate the hives and set up a shop there. They rarely attack strong hives to avoid the wrath of the guard bees. A weak hive is easily overtaken by the beetles. 

Ants

Ants are social insects. Once they invade a colony, they take everything( honey, queen, brood, and bees). Weak colonies can abscond a hive when attacked. You can effectively deal with ants by locating their ants and burning them. You can also consider raising your beehives with posts treated with oil or grease.