Great Tits feeding their young on my bees.

[Les]

Noticed today that a great tit was feeding It’s young on my bees – it was landing at the back of the hive and taking the bees from either the floor under the hive or a couple of times from the mesh. I presume that the ones it was getting from the mesh were alive but I couldn’t see if it was getting dead or alive bees from on the floor.
It was going at about 2 bees a minute as the nest box is only a few meters away from the hive – has anyone notice their bees getting eaten to this extent by birds before?
Les

 

[Erichalfbee]

We have a pied flycatcher taking bees.
It catches them flying at the entrance then takes them to an adjacent willow and very deftly takes the sting out and returns to one of the nest boxes in our garden.
The little bugger!!!!
He's only one bird though.....thank heaven we don't get Bee eaters!!!

 

[Les]

I would ‘put up’ with a pied flycatcher rather than a great tit

 

[madasafish]

The sparrows here do a grand job picking up all the dead bees under the hives.

 

[Dishmop]

The sparrows here do a grand job picking up all the dead bees under the hives.

I've only seen one sparrow here in about the last ten years...

Few blue tits and a pair of blackbirds and thats about it.

 

[Polyanwood]

I have great tits and robins that take bees of the landing board - live ones. I would love to know if they have learned to take drones.

 

[Heather]

The Great tits only eating the dead bees as far as I can witness. Here every day having a feast

 

[Dishmop]

I have seen a wasp flying around at grass top level and pouncing on a live bee that was sitting there.

 

[tonybloke]

I have seen a wasp flying around at grass top level and pouncing on a live bee that was sitting there.

today?

 

[Finman]

.
Yes, once I had the same. And then tit chicks come out and they went to catch bees directly from landing board.

I have hear that plastic snake drives birds away.

 

[madasafish]

I've only seen one sparrow here in about the last ten years...

Few blue tits and a pair of blackbirds and thats about it.

Lets see:

In the garden we have had:

all types of tits, sparrow, finches, wrens, robins, blackbirds (no thrushes - about 400 metres away), magpies, woodpeckers, pigeons, doves, merlins, peregrine falcons, pheasants, turkey and quails (domestic), geese, ducks, tawny and brown owls,bats, field fayres, etc and above in the air buzzards. and all matter of aquatic birds incl herons.

Not to mention tree creepers..

No cuckoos.. ever..

 

[Dishmop]

today?

I check my records.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have great tits .

Like coconuts?

 

[Les]

I have hear that plastic snake drives birds away.

Might try a plastic snake – would be interested to see what the great tits reaction to it would be

 

[tonybloke]

well, the grass snake that inhabits our garden each summer doesn't scare the birds away.

 

[REDWOOD]

I have hear that plastic snake drives birds away.

Might try a plastic snake – would be interested to see what the great tits reaction to it would be

I know how they react to a sparrowhawk

 

[REDWOOD]

Like coconuts?

tut tut

 

[Finman]

I know how they react to a sparrowhawk

What about a picture of MORE great tit?

 

[itma]

...
It was going at about 2 bees a minute as the nest box is only a few meters away from the hive ...

There's a lesson in there somewhere ...

 

[BeeJayBee]

I have heard that plastic snake drives birds away.

I know how they react to a sparrowhawk

Plastic snake (length of hose pipe) and plastic bird of prey only work until the birds realise they aren't a threat, but can make the birds complacent when the real thing turns up.