Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[dubluvva]

I was greeted by an allotment holder today saying he'd been stung by one of my bees because lots of birds (sparrows and others according to him) had been perching on my hive screen and flying down feasting on bees. He was lovely about it, and said he wasn't complaining, but I'd love to give him an explanation as to the cause. Could it have been an orientation flight that the birds simply took advantage of?

[Barbara]

Birds do sometimes come and pick off the odd bee although I've not had problems at this time of year. It might be worth hanging a string of old cds across the top of the screening to discourage the birds from using it as a vantage point to pick them off.
I would doubt that the birds prompted the bees to sting him. I find it is more to do with it being swarming season and the bees are more tetchy I'm guessing, due to the fluctuation in queen pheromones. Mine live peaceably the rest of the year and I can sit and watch entrance activity, but during swarming season, if I hang around for more than a few minutes, a bee or two will come out and see me off!

Hopefully they will settle down soon. I'm pleased he didn't make a big deal of it and hope it's an isolated incident.

[catchercradle]

Doesn't answer the question but one of my fellow bee keepers in Cambridge has a blackbird that will sit on the landing board and pick bees off as they come in/out of the hive.

[greengage]

Thats interesting, A beekeeper i know was telling me about swallows picking off bees returning to his hive, they showed no intrest in picking off bees leaving the hive he thinks they were after nectar or pollen.

[trekmate]

I have a hive on a flat (ish) roof and have seen house sparrows taking the odd dead bee from the roof, but never a live one. Recycling at it's simplest!

[Chardyboy]

Hi All,

When my bees swarmed, a magpie took an interest in them and got a few stings for its troubles. It was not deterred as I saw it again the following day hopping around the shed roof taking the odd bee in flight.

It didn't hang around too long so I'm hoping it hasn't developed too big a liking for them.

Cheers

Dave

[dubluvva]

Thanks to all for your replies. I noticed a couple of sparrows waiting for bees coming back, but they soon got bored and flew off. I am lucky that he is very pro bees Barbara, unlike the man that left a snotty note telling me the swarm I had collected had returned and I was to remove them and guarantee no return or further action would be taken. It turned out there were stragglers that had found their way back to my hive by the time I got to where I had picked up the swarm. ( I've had words with them and made them promise no return or they are grounded!)