Birds eating bees

bee.adl · November 04, 2012, 01:05:10 AM

I've got a few birds very actively eating bees near the hives. To the extent I am worried they will weaken the hives significantly.
I have identified them as Little Wattlebird.

Has anybody seen this? Is it their normal behaviour or just these few 'discovered the taste'?
And more important is what to do with them?

I have an idea to put a net above and around the hives (I have two hives) to impede access. Will this work?
Attempts to scare and deter them (hanging CDs around the hives, throwing stones) didn't work at all.

I live in Adelaide and heard that there are bee-eaters in QLD, but not in SA.

Thanks.

AllenF · November 04, 2012, 03:18:00 PM

Maybe you should develop a taste for those bee eating birds.

tefer2 · November 04, 2012, 03:33:40 PM

The ones around me taste like bird shot! :-D

AllenF · November 04, 2012, 03:36:30 PM

Use a lighter load. :-D

squidink · November 04, 2012, 04:26:32 PM

Try putting a fake rubber snake near the hive or even a fake hawk/eagle in a nearby tree. Not fool proof but can be a good deterant for those pesky birds!

Ben

tefer2 · November 04, 2012, 07:32:32 PM

Had a plastic owl on a post, ended up using it for target practice :jerry:

Joe D · November 06, 2012, 02:23:34 PM

I was having that problem in the spring and summer, there is a fence running close to the bee hives and the birds would line up on it. I got an plastic owl and put it on top of the closest post to the bees. Haven't had a bird on the fence since. Good luck to you and your bees.

Joe

bernsad · November 10, 2012, 08:30:45 PM

I have had a currawong learn to do the same thing. It lines up on the fence and periodically makes a swoop through the incoming bees and then cirlcles around to sit on the fence again for the next round. I don't know how many bees it gets each day but I wouldn't have thought it would make a great impact on the population.