Honey bees, though small, are hardworking and tireless insects.They construct massive colonies which can accommodate a huge number of them at a time. The honey bee is an insect that has a close resemblance to wasps.They swarm around their place of residence called a hive. A hive can accommodate more than 10,000 of them. Humans make use of the natural honey produced by these insects for various purposes. There are over 20,000 types of honey bees, and the honey is largely produced by a species known as the western honey bee. Do you know the scientific name of bees? It is Apis (Latin word). They are commonly found in south and east Asia and some parts of Africa. Bees are not mammals or wasps, and they play a crucial role in carrying pollen from one plant species to another.They are found in every continent except Antarctica since that continent lacks flowering plants that you might find in your garden at home from where they feed on nectar. The large colony of these flies consists of a queen and several thousand workers who work relentlessly to produce honey. You must have seen images and videos of the bee community on media. How do honey bees communicate? They communicate among themselves using a particular kind of movement called a waggle dance, through which they inform other bees about plants which contain pollen and nectar, about water sources, and about other members of their colony.Colonies of bees are usually known as beehives. Beekeeping as a hobby to collect honey has been actually adopted by humans for millennia. It has been said that jars of honey were found in tombs of ancient Egyptian rulers. Later on, Europeans adopted methods to harvest honey without destroying their nests. Can you imagine eating bees as your food? Actually, people in some countries eat bees as edible food. Bee larvae mixed with shredded coconut and wrapped in banana leaves are used for eating along with rice in the Indonesian dish botok tawon. Eating bee larvae provides a high protein and carbohydrate content, and they are a vast storehouse of many minerals too.If you are really interested to know more fun facts related to what eats butterflies and what eats frogs then have a glance at our website and catch more details.Common Bee PredatorsAre you wondering how another insect or bee predator can invade or eat the scary-looking honey bee having a serious weapon like stingers right on its body, which are helpful and act as weapons?The sting is painful and intolerable. Let us read a few facts related to people with enough courage to eat bees and to get a sting in return. Honey bees face the most danger from animals such as skunks and bears. Other threats include wasps, beetles, disease, pesticides, and changes in climate. Skunks are another type of animal that finds them collectively and often return at night to kill them and eat in large quantities. These bee eaters chew the juicy substance and leave the solid part outside the hive.Other bee predators include raccoons. Opossums also eat wasps. Robber flies are also an example of a threat. Robber flies also tend to eat bees and wasps. Robber flies not only take smaller prey like bees but eat larger species like beetles and butterflies. Badgers, native to Africa, also invade the hive and ground them. Other bees’ predators include animals like bears who destroy the hive to drink the natural honey. Until humans take preventive measures, bears will repeatedly come to eat their prey, the bee. Another dirty insect, popularly known as wasps, also eats them to grow their broods.Wasps produce their eggs on top of diseased or dead or paralyzed bees, and studies have shown that wasps use some kind of chemical to keep bees with their broods. Though birds are known to be omnivores, not all birds eat bees because of their small size and swift movements. The European bee-eater is a bird known for scaring away these insects from their hive. The mockingbird feeds on them in the summer season. Interestingly, honey bees produce pheromones to give warning to other members when a bird comes nearby.Common Bee EnemiesThe life of bees is not an easy one. Bees face a multitude of dangers in order to survive and to escape from bee eaters. Let’s see who are common enemies of bees.Enemies and predators catch bees in different ways by attacking larvae of adult bees to assault them. Enemies of bees are insects, vertebrates, and microbes. The beetle is an insect that lives in honeybee colonies whose larvae destroy the hive. Ants are another type of insect that can destroy adult bees, their offspring, and honey by attacking them in masses. Wasps and hornets not only make use of bees to feed their babies, but wasps attack the hive too. A variety of wasps called Asian hornets build their nests near beehives to prey on them and to catch and eat them.What about spiders? Spiders cause acarine disease in bees. The disease caused by spiders is dangerous. Dragonflies are another threat. Though dragonflies are a sign of prosperity, they hunt other insects and bees in groups in order to ground them. They are equipped with sharp teeth and strong jaws to eat their prey.Other Dangers To BeesA bee is a wonderful creature that struggles hard to escape from its predators like wasps and insects that are ready to eat them.Bees always prefer wild spaces. As part of development, wildflowers or other bee habitats have been destroyed. As a result, these small bees face problems with nectar and the formation of colonies. Just like any one of us, bees also get sick with parasite infections. Some parasites attack the respiratory system of bees, while some others live on their bodies. Climate change is another factor that affects these bees adversely. Due to climate change, the blooming period of flowers is changing, and hence less flowers are blooming in spring which affects the food pattern of bees, making it tough for them to live.Viruses also kill the growing larvae and reduce the average life span of adult bees. They even cause damage to wing movements too. Certain bacterial diseases also kill young bees inside wax shells where they start to grow. The increased use of pesticides by farmers on flowering plants is dangerous to bees and wasps. They may cause some nervous breakdown or can be fatal to bees and wasps. This insect needs to adapt to live and to enjoy its life.How do bees protect themselves from predators?Honeybees take care of themselves well when they move out in search of nectar. We will find out some of the defense mechanisms adopted by them.The primary method is to sting the predator or enemy by injecting toxic venom into its body. Female honeybees prefer this method to save themselves. Like human beings, bees also construct a home called a beehive which protects them from wasps and birds. They mostly build their hives in less noticeable places. Giant honey bees build their hives in open spaces, and predators find it easier to assault them.Japanese honeybees have a new method of getting together and attacking wasps by entrapping them. They form a ‘bee ball’ and flap their wings around it. Carbon monoxide and heat produced from this beating suffocate the predator to death. Bees have developed several defense methods to fend off possible attacks from their predators.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what eats bees, then why not take a look at what eats skunks or how long can a fish live out of water.
Honey bees, though small, are hardworking and tireless insects.
