Bees are prey to a number of predators. Birds will take bees on the wing or as they bustle inside a flower. Spiders will catch bees in a web and the crab spider, a prolific hunter, is a master of stealth, changing colour to match the flower environment before pouncing on an unsuspecting bee.
Bees
Before the honey bees swarm they feed on honey before departing on their journey to a site for the newly formed colony. When they are ready to go the bees leave the hive and can appear as a cloud in the air. They tend to be sighted when they are resting as a cluster protecting the queen. Sometimes this cloud is spotted in the air or you may hear the rumbling hum overhead.
Wasps
The main difference is that a bee will not bother trying to eat your food. It needs nectar, not your apple or ice-cream, but wasps are attracted to sweet foods. Bees also tend to have fluffier, wider bodies with hairy legs whereas wasps are slim and have thin waists.
Beetles
Hornets
Moths
Bees often cling to your washing on sunny days with chilly evenings or if there’s a cold breeze. Check your washing as you take it down for bees, ladybirds, butterflies and moths who love the warm safety of a duvet cover or even your socks!
Mites
Aphids
Chemicals are a real problem for wildlife of all types. Chemical sprays used to kill aphids and greenfly also kill bees. If you must use them, do it at dusk when the bees have retired for the night. A solution of citrus peel and water is often successful on aphids and if you have lady birds these are voracious killers.