Yesterday I noticed a red bird hanging around in the area of our apiary. I thought at first it was a Cardinal but after reasearching I found out it is a Summer Tanager....the problem is the nick name for this bird is "BEE CATCHER". They specialize in catching bees and wasp in flight.
So now what do I do. He is obviously hanging around eating my bees. I don't want to have to shoot him, but then I don't want him eating my bees.
Does anybody have any suggestions, or has run into this problem before?
Why shoot it? It's highly unlikely that this is the only one around, since they aren't exactly rare. This is just the one that manged to find where the bees are coming from. How many bees do you think him and his buddies have feasted on away from the bee yard? Just try scaring him off somehow.
Let him be!
I seriously doubt that he will catch enough honey bees for you to notice. They also like wasps, yellow jackets, and spiders. This bird usually hangs out in the top of very tall trees (i.e. tulip poplars). The tanager has a place in the eco-system as well!
PS: A "he" is red in color with a yellow, pointed bill whereas, a she is greenish-yellow. You will probably never see the female because she can hide quite well in the tops of tall trees!
I was being sarcastic about shooting the bird.
Quote from: dgc1961 on May 06, 2010, 11:02:22 AM
I was being sarcastic about shooting the bird.
Impossible to tell from your post. Some people wouldn't think twice about dispatching a perceived nuisance unnecessarily.
the birds can eat many, many, bees. i have had years when the swallows have kept my bee population down significantly. robins are also a problem. i have put windsocks around the hives for the robins and that does the trick. i would surely shoot the swallows if they were not so dang fast.
do what works.
It is against the law to shoot any bird that is a native species. I think that it is probably true all across the US. I know the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1918 makes it illegal to harm or possess many birds. You will have to google, I can't post links yet. grrrr
In Utah I think that means all but European Starlings and House Sparrows. I don't mind birds eating a few bees. As much as I pay in birdseed bills every month you can tell I am a bird lover. I do get extremely annoyed when I see a brown headed cowbird checking out some of my song birds nesting locations though. Dang things.
SSS
Ah the three SSS's, I truely believe in that pholosaphie, big word. I even educated my neighbor after he made some threats (he is a coke head) about the three SSS's Funny, he hasn't bothered me or my wife since!
One bird...I wouldn't worry about it too much if you notice one bird and you have more than one hive.
More than one...I think what Kathy mentioned, windsocks, streamers, shiny twirly things.
A whole flock...well, then you've either got to keep moving the apiary or SSS. I love birds and wildlife too, but when they become too dependent on the things that you want to keep...
...or just get a few nasty barn cats.
OK, educate me on the 3 sss's. lol
Quote from: RZRBCK BEE on May 06, 2010, 03:28:17 PM
OK, educate me on the 3 sss's. lol
Shoot, Shovel, Shut up.
Ok that describes my thoughts.
Never heard of teh three "s's". Quite funny.
Quote from: kathyp on May 06, 2010, 11:53:47 AM
SSS
Sorry to pick on you, Kathy, but are you saying that some laws in America must be followed but not others?
To the OP: Can you find out more about this bird and its habits? Could be that you could lure it away with food elsewhere, scare it away with whatever scares it...
of course you do and i gave you a good opening :-D
how about this: if i shoot the wolf that didn't get the travel and dietary memo about staying in Montana and not eating livestock, and i get caught, i will take the legal consequences.
I enjoy your good-natured humor. Sometimes people who disagree on forums get nasty, so I'm glad I can rib you a bit :D
One thing I'm learning in life is that it's one thing to read, talk and think about certain problems (guns, immigration or bee-eating birds) and quite another to experience them in one's own life and THEN decide what you think about it.
Very, very glad I have no bird problems, yet! I do have an ant problem, though, and you bet your patootie I have been smashing those suckers without mercy.
I have never been a fan of SSS. And, I am not picking on anyone but I really don't think some laws are made for some and some are made for everyone.
I have a neighborhood cat that is driving me BONKERS. I can see how SSS might be easier but I just really don't think the Karma would be a good thing for me. It may seem trivial to dispose of "one" of "these" or "two" of "those" but I can see how each action can impact more than we think. It's like picking that beautiful flower at the botanical garden.... if everyone did it how many flowers would there be?
Do we really have that right? No, we don't.
guess it depends on what you value most. i would not shoot something because it annoyed me. i would shoot something that was destroying my livestock, including my bees. heck, if i just shot things that annoyed me, there would be a couple of neighbors on the list.
i have a great deal of respect for the wildlife and the land. i also have a lot invested in what i do. i am not a city person who hikes out to see the birds and bees on occasion. i live out here. i will live and let live......up to a point.
LH, i was told by someone on here that what i have is rough legs? they ran off my red tails. they are pretty big. big enough to carry off adult rabbits and cats.
I think that if your hives are healthy, they can feed the birds too, the only time I would be wary of having one of those , would be when trying to raise queens and get them mated. Field bees I have plenty of, queens take a bit of work. I would move the mating yard but keep a hive or two (with laying queens) in the same spot as that bird.
On the law question well some laws apply to you but if you have enough money, most laws do not apply. If you are dirt poor, all laws apply to you.
:-\
Sometimes the laws apply because they are laws.
Sometimes the laws apply because they are ethical.
A summer tannenger is quite small. It will not have any effect on your hive. I have them around my single hive all the time. Vero's (sp?) too. Every once in a while, they swoop down, pick up a bee, and fly off.
Consider that you can loose a thousand bees a day just through old age, this bird will have little effect on your hive.
Scarlet Tanagers don't hang around in groups or flocks and the pair (that female will be on the nest and out of sight) will keep other tanagers out of their territory. I wouldn't worry that he will be making any significant dent in your bee population even if he is using some to feed the chicks. Scarlet Tanagers are not as common as they once were, they prefer fairly heavily wooded areas.
JC
I've never seen a tanager, and my husband saw one once while hunting deep in the woods. Maybe your hives are in a wooded area?
Yes. Very wooded.
Goldenrod blooming Bees leaving and entering hive (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fphKfq1_ZlU#ws)
I posted last year about some birds eating my bees. I saw it happen and have seen the results. I had bee butts all over the tops of the hives and around the water buckets. I cant say what the damage to the hive was, population wise, but I can say there were lots of bee parts spread about, more than I could count. I did not shoot the darn birds but thought I should have. CATS, there are lots of them around here, none mine. I started trapping them because why should I have to worry about stepping in their waste or worry about pulling weeds and getting the waste on my hands. The cats were not hurt just relocated. A peron does have the right to protect their livestock, but what is the definition of livestock. I had a guy say his dog was "livestock" due to he was breeding the dog and making money. So all in all I would have to say I agree with the sss.