# bee-eaters all over....



## rand (Nov 14, 2009)

There are bee-eater in all my locations, eating my girls from morning till evening for almost a week.

Can i do something against them?
Can them make a big harm to the hives population?

Thanks, Randi


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## Brent Bean (Jun 30, 2005)

Rand: sorry for your misfortune I’m afraid not too many beekeepers in North America can give you advice, as we don’t have bee-eaters, which I assume are a species of bird?
I have seen barn swallows and occasionally they will swoop down and grab a bee but soon give up I don’t think they like the taste. 
If the bee-eaters grab the bees at the hive entrance you could try a chicken wire obstruction over the hive, the bees could easily fly threw the fence but keep the birds out.


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## misslechunker (May 26, 2010)

Rand,
I can tell you that I had LOTS of problems where I am located with the Eastern Kingbird ! They were tearing my bee's apart for a while! They'd sit on the power line located next to my hives and pick off my foraging bee's by the dozens! However, I found a very simple solution. Death by 12 gauge! It only took taking out three of them and the rest high tailed it away from here! At one point, I would have as many as a dozen or more perched up on the power line(s) waiting to slurp up my girls!


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

Maybe you can make a good soup out of the bee eaters. Seen video of them, they are a beautiful bird.


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## Jaseemtp (Nov 29, 2010)

I agree with misslechunker, KILL THEM.


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

I'm not sure but I think he's talking about dragonflies. I don't think they would make a good soup.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

Not dragonflies by the search I did :lookout: but they do eat dragonflies and bees as their name says
so the post doesn't get zapped I only copied a small bit about them 
*Rand* here is the link and maybe you can find from it a way to persuade them to go away 
or if legal and they are doing a lot of harm shoot to kill :thumbsup:
who ever said it is right they are nice looking here is the one of the colors 
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...an_bee_eater.jpg/240px-European_bee_eater.jpg
Good luck 

Tommyt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee-eater
The bee-eaters are a group of near-passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa and Asia but others occur in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long downturned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar. There are 26 different species of bee-eaters.

As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught in the air by sallies from an open perch.[1] While they pursue any type of flying insect, honey bees predominate in their diet. Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) comprise from 20% to 96% of all insects eaten, with honey bees comprising approximately one-third of the Hymenoptera.[2]


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## Riverratbees (Feb 10, 2010)

Go to wally world and buy a badmitten racket. I have killed atleast 50 bumblebees and 8 hornets so far this year.


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## hoodswoods (May 15, 2009)

And the little girl's mother down the street whose child was stung by the bee was screaming at the top of her lungs to the neighborhood 'kill them ALL, kill ALL THOSE SOBing bees'


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## willyC (May 6, 2010)

Riverratbees said:


> Go to wally world and buy a badmitten racket. I have killed atleast 50 bumblebees and 8 hornets so far this year.


Why would you kill Bumblebees?


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## rand (Nov 14, 2009)

tommyt gave the right link. These are the bad guys that kill my bees and avoiding them from going out and forage.

Someone told me to kill just one and put him on one of the hives
and they will affraid ?????

Too many damagers to worry about


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

We don't have those in my area, dragonflies eat a bunch of my bee. 12 ga shotgun


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## CharlieN (Feb 23, 2011)

These are the culprits in our area... every year, regular as clockwork. They do a good job of keeping down the wasps and only hit the bees when the wasps start getting scarce.


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## hula681 (Apr 12, 2011)

I agree there is not a problem that can not be solved by the correct placement of lead. Just ask bin laden. 

I don't know about the bee eater, but if you kill a crow and leave the remains in the pasture the other crows will stay clear until that one is gone. If you can't shoot them then try some well placed fireworks, such as bottle rockets.

But I wouldn't use a 12 gauge, that would be overkill my .28 ga would do the trick with lass recoil.


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## toomanyhandles (Jun 24, 2009)

Riverratbees said:


> Go to wally world and buy a badmitten racket. I have killed atleast 50 bumblebees and 8 hornets so far this year.


? bumblebees don't cause any problems for honeybees....


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## geebob (Apr 4, 2011)

Nope, and they are suffering worse than our honeybees.


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## NCSUbeeKEEPER (Feb 28, 2011)

He probably meant carpenter bees. They drill holes in houses and clearly are not struggling at all in my area.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Here we go again.

**********************
Legal Status and Permit Process

All birds are protected by state and/or federal law
except pigeons, house sparrows, and European starlings.
It is illegal to kill any other bird species without a
special permit; it is also illegal to indirectly cause the
death of a protected species. For example, if you put
out a toxic chemical to kill starlings and a protected bird
is killed in the process, you are legally responsible.

Furthermore, it is illegal to disturb a bird that has
young or eggs in the nest. There is one exception to the
law. Blackbirds, cowbirds, crows, and grackles may be
killed without a permit when they are observed committing
or about to commit damage. Crows can be shot
during the legal hunting season.

_Controlling Birds Around Farm Buildings_ _- © The Pennsylvania State University 1999_

pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/uh126.pdf


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## CharlieN (Feb 23, 2011)

Barry said:


> Here we go again.
> 
> **********************
> Legal Status and Permit Process
> ...


Oh, I'd never dare shoot one those darling, sweet, little red summer tangers. Having to deal with my grandkids (much less my wife) wouldn't be worth it  

Seriously though, don't most states have laws concerning what's called "nuisance wildlife", e.g. wildlife that's destroying someones gardens, crops, bees, what have you or is a threat to someone? For instance, it's against the law in Arkansas to kill a snake of any kind, but a provision is made for copper heads, rattlesnakes, etc. in your yard.

Charlie


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

NCSUbeeKEEPER said:


> He probably meant carpenter bees. They drill holes in houses and clearly are not struggling at all in my area.


I had never seen a carpenter bee until about 3 years ago. Now my back deck is overrun with them. Annoying lil' buggers. They are always dive bombing us and getting up in our faces (I guees they are "defending" their territory). I tried the badmitten racket idea and could never hit one. Those things are way too fast. 

Now I just look for the tell-tail piles of sawdust, start looking straight up, find the hole and give 'em a shot of hornet killer......


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## misslechunker (May 26, 2010)

"Seriously though, don't most states have laws concerning what's called "nuisance wildlife"
Here WE go again!
Yes, if they are obviously destroying, for example, an apiary. Most animals that you take out must only be done by utilization of a depredation permit issued by "most" wildlife enforcement divisions. I don't know what it is like where Barry is from but down here in NC they'd just tell you to shoot a few of the things and the rest should leave! That's why I love the country!


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## bigevilgrape (Aug 21, 2008)

Maybe you need one of those fake owls to move around near your hives?

We have a blue jay that likes to hang out and eat bees once in a while, but he's not there often enough to make me worry.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

*Maybe you need one of those fake owls to move around near your hives?*

That sounds like a good idea here in Florida 
the fake owls do pretty good at keeping birds
off boats and signs 
I won't say they are guarantee but do help a lot

Tommyt


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## rand (Nov 14, 2009)

Thanks god they go away.

The last two weeks, when the bee-eaters were around
the bees minimize their activity, trying not to go out
and be killed.
Now they are active as usuall and i hope they didnt missed
the nectar flow period.

beekeepers told me, there is nothing to do when they are visiting
while migration to Africa, just waiting it will be finish and hope for minimal damage.

Thanks for all the answers,
Randi


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