Saw a hornet eating a bee...?

[Javin]

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?"

[Jim134]

Most hornets and wasps are carnivorous.


   BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)  

[AllenF]

See it all the time.    :(

[annette]

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.

[Jim134]

Hornets From Hell
Japanese Giant Hornet

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

http://youtu.be/2P7Q1ncgcoY



   BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[AllenF]

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

[tryintolearn]

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

[T Beek]

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

[Beeboy01]

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.

[Joe D]

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