Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Javin on July 26, 2012, 04:42:01 pm

Title: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: Javin on July 26, 2012, 04:42:01 pm

Yesterday when I went out for a quick peek at the hives, I saw a yellow hornet perched on the roof of one, and he was JUST finishing off straight-up eating a bee.  I didn't even know they DID this.  I killed it, but is this "normal?"

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: Jim134 on July 26, 2012, 05:14:59 pm

Most hornets and wasps are carnivorous.


    BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)  

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: AllenF on July 26, 2012, 06:53:57 pm

See it all the time.    :(

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: annette on July 26, 2012, 08:25:27 pm

Yep, saw a hornet pick a bee off the landing board and I followed it when it flew away. It landed on the branch of a bush and sat there eating the honey bee. They do this although I hate it.

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: Jim134 on July 26, 2012, 08:41:55 pm

Hornets From Hell
Japanese Giant Hornet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_giant_hornet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_giant_hornet)

http://youtu.be/2P7Q1ncgcoY (http://youtu.be/2P7Q1ncgcoY)



    BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: AllenF on July 26, 2012, 09:39:05 pm

I also have bald face hornets that hang around my hives also with those nasty asian boogers. 

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: tryintolearn on July 27, 2012, 01:29:28 pm

yea,  but i saw my bees kill the hornet dead....hes layin in front of hive to ward off any interested in tryin again....lol

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: T Beek on July 27, 2012, 04:31:10 pm

Yep its true and it happens all the time. 

Along w/ hornets and wasps, dragonflies will also eat your bees, as will a host of birds such as waxwings, bluebirds and flycatchers (they're the worst up here). 

And don't get me started on what one visit from a BEAR can do  :) 

Good thing a healthy colony can have as many as 60,000 plus bees, heh?

t

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: Beeboy01 on July 27, 2012, 05:07:45 pm

The little brown House Wrens set up shop all summer long by my hives along with the local six lined lizards who pick off drones and workers. I haven't seem any hornets around the hives but last year I watched a hornet knock down, kill and tear apart a dragonfly in under 10 minutes. There was a huge yellow jacket nest in the back yard two years ago and they were always all over the hives till I took them out with some bug spray. They were making the bees mean by always messing with them.

Title: Re: Saw a hornet eating a bee...?
Post by: Joe D on July 27, 2012, 11:51:04 pm

Last week I saw a good many carpenter bees dead around my bee yard.  I didn't see any messing with the honey bees or them messing with the carpenter bees.  Just a bunch of dead carpenter bees within 3 to 4 feet fo the front of the hives.



Joe