Merops Apiaster, the bee-eater bird

[bristopen]

Hello,

That species is not only European but Mediterranean. It is a very common problem here in Northern Algeria and beekeepers really don't know what to do about it.

How do you do to save your bees from that beast?

[Michael Bush]

We don't have any.  A 12 gauge shotgun would probably do the trick... :)  But that may be hard to find there...

[bristopen]

Hello, Michael.

I like radical solutions, but there's too much of those birds. Besides, I can't have a fire arm, even for hunting because the country is still under martial law. A more peaceful solution would be better.

BTW, I'm happy that you finally published your book. I'll purchase it.

Peace.

[Michael Bush]

Trapping might work, but I don't know what would interest a bird I've never observed... but if you can find something that interests them, a dead fall or a live trap might work.

[FRAMEshift]

 

Trapping might work, but I don't know what would interest a bird I've never observed... but if you can find something that interests them, a dead fall or a live trap might work.

Well we know what interests them, don't we?   :bee:

[Michael Bush]

How do you bait a trap with bees?

[AllenF]

Set up branches and sticks around your hives coated with sticky glue.   Birds land there to scope out the hives and get stuck. 

[ranger774]

So would the bees!!! :-D

[AllenF]

I would bet not very many bees.   And the ones that did just became bait. 

[Grandpa Jim]

Maybe some fine netting would tangle it up...or try a sling shot...you might get good at it.

[duck]

find the roost. destroy the eggs, just like usfws does with snow geese on the tundra. this will control them after a few generations.

[D Semple]

Very cool looking and neat bird to listen to. I would add a few extra hives to cover the losses and enjoy the show the birds put on.

[bristopen]

Aah! Quite romantic but not a solution, next spring there numbers would have doubled, and so would the losses!

Traditionally, our people use fishing nets to trap the most intrepid of these birds but that doesn't cure the problem. Beekeepers in Europe destroy the birds' nests but that's against the law, unless the local authorities decide otherwise.

Ornithologists say that the best thing to do is to take the hives somewhere else and leave the birds alone. They state that Merops apiaster catches bees on the fly, it doesn't need to be near the hives.They also state that all kinds of wasps are in the diet of these birds, which makes them beekeepers' friends. If only they take more wasps than bees!

Peace.
 

[David McLeod]

As a NWCO, Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator, I live and breath this type of wildlife control. Not being familiar with this species I let my fingers do the walking, and if wiki is to be taken as a source, it sounds like an interesting species to try to control.
I found three behavioral items that might be used to effect control.
They forage from perches and spot hymenopterous insects in flight from distances up to 60m (roughly 195').
They consume aproximately 250 bees per day and bees comprise roughly one third of their diet.
They nest in communal burrows that they dig in cliff banks and cuts.
Okay, using these three items let's try some things.
First let's try removing all possible perching sites within a 70m-100m radius of the hives. This of course can not prevent depredation while the bees are actively foraging but it may reduce depredation in the area where the bees are most concentrated, the apiary.
Determine what is the threshold level of depredation to escalate to more drastic control options. Also try to determine if other hymenopterous species can be used as a bait trap species to lower honeybee depredation.
Last, determine if habitat alteration such as removal or excluding of cliffs, cut banks or soil types can deny nesting sites to deter or lower bee eater populations. Ultimately, if needed the communal habit can be used against them if lethal control is needed.

I did not find a list of the natural predators of bee eaters. One thing that has worked here in the US is falconry. Maybe a local falconer would know.

[David McLeod]

Also trapping with mist netting would probably be very effective in the area of the apiary or active foraging sites but would be very non selective and the non target catch may negate the effectiveness. The netting would also have to be monitored regularly, as in almost hourly if non targets are to be released alive.

[blanc]

I use an agriculture netting to protect my small patch of strawberries and works well. Will keep em off the hive but maybe not stop them foraging on flying bees.