What do bees eat?

Wingy

Well-Known Member
Something I've never given much thought to before thinking that they collected nectar from flowers that was taken back to the hive etc where bees then used it as food in the form of honey.
I saw something the other day that somewhat shook this theory so I took a short video on my iPhone. Before I post I'd just like to know what you thought / know what bees eat or could later explain what this one I saw was doing?
Oh and I'll have to learn how to post the video from my phone!
Wingy
 
Not sure about all bumble, masonry or solitary bees.

Honey bees eat honey as you say and can get very angry when you try to take it off them. Watched a bee kill another last night, must have been a robber from next door or something. They feed pollen/protein to the brood (baby bees), the first feed to the larva is royal jelly but that is only a very small amount or they would become queens.

Very interested to see your video and hear the story?

Cheers.
 
Ooh, forgot the second most important food source for honey bees. After we nick their honey they are fed sugar syrup or fondant to give them enough stores to get them through the winter!
 
not sure i think its honey but not a lot ,only small mouth parts, hiya martin come on dont keep us hanging, doug,
 
Bee wrestles caterpillar - YouTube

Ok if this has worked there should be a video of a bee wrestling a caterpillar. The bee had hold of the rear end of the caterpillar in its mouth and was desperately trying to fly off with it. The caterpillar was still alive and using its legs trying to hold on to anything it could. I've done some Google work and found that wasps & hornets suck the insides from caterpillars but bees definitely don't (according to Google) I'm certain this is a bee
Wingy
 
Have they both got tangled up in each others furry bits? I thought at first the bee had got its stinger stuck but bumble bees don't have barbs according to google!
 
Have they both got tangled up in each others furry bits? I thought at first the bee had got its stinger stuck but bumble bees don't have barbs according to google!

No, the two were not somehow stuck together, I watched for a while and the tail end of the caterpillar was definitely being held in the mouth part of the bee. The legs at the other end of the caterpillar were doing their best to hold onto anything they could get a grip of. The bee was trying to get airborne but just couldn't manage the weight but wouldn't let go.
 
I reckon that's a wax moth larva. Evil creatures, make a right mess of a bees nest/hive. Never seen a bee fight one though.


wax moth.jpg
 
Not watched the video yet but if it were near the bumble bee nest it could be evicting a wax moth catipillar. Honey bees will remove drones (males) and drone larvae from a hive if you open the brood up.
 
I reckon that's a wax moth larva. Evil creatures, make a right mess of a bees nest/hive. Never seen a bee fight one though.


View attachment 43816

That's just what it looked like and as
suggested by pj1 it was about 6 feet from where I have seen the bees going into a crack in a concrete slab so yes quite close to a possible nest.
Thanks Wingy
 
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