Can Chickens Safely Eat Bees and Wasps?

[Reinbeau]

If you see honeybees swarming on a tree, please don't spray them with a hose, call a local beekeeper and they'll gladly come and remove them for you. Honeybees are valuable pollinators, we can afford to lose a single hive.

What that swarm on the tree is called is a reproductive swarm. They gather up honey and fly away from their home with a queen. They settle somewhere to then go out and find a new home. They won't stay there, they've sent out scouts who are actively looking for a new home. Once it's found, they'll all lift off and leave. Swarms are not dangerous, they are a natural cycle of a honeybee hive.

 

[terri9630]

Quote:
That would depend on where you are. Down here in NM and most of the SW we have swarms of africanized honey bees. The swarms can be deadly. One of my neighbours in S. Tx was killed by bees. His dog tried to help and was killed as well. The guy was just cleaning the oak leaves out of his gutters. The swarm had stopped in his chiminey and took offense to him being so close.

 

[Reinbeau]

That is true, in africanized areas, but the whole country isn't africanized - so far it seems it won't be a problem where we have winter, but that remains to be seen. The point is you shouldn't be willy-nilly killing honeybees unless they are a definite threat (swarms by nature aren't a threat, they have no hive to defend, africanized are more defensive, but you'll fare better with an africanized swarm than if you bother their actual hive).

 

[barnwife]

chickens are GREAT pest control! and Organic, too!

 

[andrea98]

2 yrs ago we had barn swollows in our garage nested up & a swarm came 3 houses down from us & boy did she take her fill of em .. she brought em back & fed em to her babies ... a bee keeper came & took em was kinda neat how they do that

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Oops, next time I won't hurt the bees. I'll admit I freaked out. I do actually have a friend who is a bee keeper, I'll call him next time. Thanks for all the suggestions

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Quote:
I would not condone killing dogs

But I do agree- leave the bees alone unless they are Africanized Honey Bees

Then get the he|| outta there!

 

[Aquabubblez13]

There are huge wasp nests on this tree by the chicken coop and I knock them down and pick out the larvae and the chickens go crazy over them

. With some of the older larvae, I slice of the thorax just in case of the stinger+venom, but they really enjoy them!

 

[MsRiderUp]

Hey,

Might not be so quick to kill the honeybees. They are pollinators, and actually there are crops that can't exist without them. They are hugely on the decline! If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. Maybe this is a good time to take up beekeeping and reap the benefits of both your vegetation and bees?

 

[tacopaco]

If it'll be of any use to anyone still, my 6 week old American game stag caught a bee right now. I haven't experienced them eating bees before but If I don't re-post in this thread again then he turned out fine

lol