If you live in southern Europe, Africa, Madagascar, Australia, India and New Guinea, you might see the brightly colored birds called bee-eaters. There are 27 different species of bee-eaters and yes, they do eat honey bees as well as other flying insects. The main fear among beekeepers is that a bee-eater may catch the queen honey bee when she takes her mating flight. Bee-eaters normally consume about 250 bees and other flying insects per day. Bee-eaters have been recorded eating beetles, mayflies, stoneflies, cicadas, termites, crickets, grasshoppers, mantises, true flies and moths. However, they find butterflies distasteful. The largest part of their diet is bees and wasps, with the average being 70 of their diet. It is wise in picking your apiarysite so it is not close to the bee-eater colonies. Hives that are placed under trees and overhead power lines have a higher risk as bee-eaters attack insects from their perches.
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