Bees and wasps have a surprising number of natural predators. Despite their stingers, venom, and sometimes aggressive colonies, dozens of species across the animal kingdom have evolved ways to hunt, eat, and even raid their nests. These predators range from specialized birds that disarm stingers before swallowing to bears that shrug off hundreds of stings for a meal of larvae and honey.
Birds That Specialize in Eating Bees and Wasps
The most famous avian predators of bees and wasps are the aptly named bee-eaters, a family of about 27 colorful species found across Africa, Asia, and southern Europe. Green bee-eaters catch bees mid-flight, then return to a perch where they repeatedly hit and rub the insect against a branch. This behavior squeezes out the venom and removes the stinger, making the bee safe to swallow. They can process a bee in just a few seconds.
The crested honey buzzard takes a very different approach. Although it belongs to the same family as hawks and eagles, its primary food is bee and wasp larvae, the developing brood found inside nests. These birds frequent forests near farms, rivers, and open glades where ground-nesting bees and wasps are easier to spot. When they find a honeybee colony, they’ll eat the honeycombs too. Specialized scale-like feathers on their faces protect them from stings, and their thick plumage acts as natural armor against swarms of angry defenders.
Shrikes, sometimes called “butcher birds,” also eat bees and wasps. They’re known for impaling their prey on thorns or barbed wire, which lets them tear apart stinging insects more safely. Several woodpecker species dig into tree cavities to access wasp nests, and common backyard birds like kingbirds and swallows will snatch bees and wasps on the wing when the opportunity arises.
Mammals That Raid Nests
Bears are the most iconic mammalian predators of bees. Black bears and brown bears regularly tear apart wild hives and managed beehives alike, enduring hundreds of stings in exchange for calorie-rich honey and protein-packed larvae. Their thick fur and skin provide some protection, though they still get stung, particularly on the face and ears. They simply tolerate the pain because the nutritional reward is worth it.
Honey badgers, found across Africa and parts of Asia, are arguably even more impressive. Their diet includes at least 59 different species, but bee larvae are a consistent favorite. Honey badgers have evolved thick, loose skin that serves double duty: it protects against both animal attacks and insect stings. Research has shown they’ve developed biochemical resistance to venom at the cellular level, the same kind of adaptation that helps them survive venomous snake bites.
Closer to home in North America, skunks are one of the most common nighttime raiders of beehives. They scratch at the hive entrance, grab emerging bees, and roll them on the ground to disable the stinger before eating. Raccoons, rats, and weasels will also tackle wasp nests to get at the larvae inside. These mammals tend to attack at night when the colony is less active and the insects are slower to respond.
Other Insects and Hornets
Some of the most effective bee and wasp predators are other insects. Robber flies (also called assassin flies) are ambush predators that catch bees in mid-air, pierce them with a sharp mouthpart, and inject enzymes that liquefy the bee’s insides. They’re generally considered beneficial because they eat pest insects, but beekeepers view them as a problem when they target honeybees. Long-legged assassin bugs use a similar strategy, stabbing their prey and feeding on the contents.
Dragonflies are fast and agile enough to catch bees and wasps on the wing. Praying mantises take the sit-and-wait approach, grabbing pollinators that land on flowers near them. Neither of these predators is specifically targeting bees, but both are opportunistic enough to eat them regularly.
The most devastating insect predators of bees, though, are hornets. Asian giant hornets are infamous for their coordinated attacks on honeybee colonies. A group of hornets can overwhelm and destroy an entire colony of tens of thousands of bees within hours. Their attack follows a chilling pattern: individual hornets first pick off bees one at a time in a “slaughter phase,” killing far more than they can eat. Once the colony is weakened or abandoned, the hornets enter an “occupation phase,” moving freely in and out of the hive to consume the brood and dead workers. Research on the tropical hornet Vespa tropica on the island of Guam found it uses a remarkably similar strategy, with individual workers serial-killing bees at hive entrances before groups move in. Western honeybees, which didn’t evolve alongside these predators, are largely defenseless without beekeeper intervention.
Reptiles, Amphibians, and Spiders
Lizards that live near gardens and hives frequently eat bees and wasps. They position themselves near hive entrances or flowering plants and snatch individual insects. Toads are similarly opportunistic, sitting near ground-level nests or hive entrances and using their sticky tongues to grab passing bees. Bullfrogs will eat nearly any insect that fits in their mouth, bees and wasps included. None of these animals seem particularly bothered by stings, possibly because their skin or mucus provides some barrier.
Many species of spiders catch bees and wasps in their webs. Orb-weaver spiders build large webs in gardens and meadows where pollinators are active, and a trapped bee is just another meal. Crab spiders are particularly effective: they hide inside flowers, perfectly camouflaged, and ambush bees that land to collect nectar. The spider grabs the bee and delivers a venomous bite before the bee can sting.
Carnivorous Plants
Even some plants get in on the action. Pitcher plants in the genus Sarracenia, found primarily in bogs across the southeastern United States, eat bees along with moths, ants, and flies. These plants lure insects using scent compounds that mimic the smell of flowers and fruit. Bees follow the scent, land on the slippery rim of the pitcher, and slide down into a pool of digestive fluid. Research on trumpet pitcher plants found that species producing compounds similar to floral scents attracted more pollinators like bees and moths, essentially turning a bee’s natural foraging behavior into a trap. Venus flytraps occasionally catch bees as well, though they more commonly trap crawling insects.
Why So Many Predators Can Handle Stings
The common thread among bee and wasp predators is that each has evolved a workaround for the sting. Birds use behavioral techniques like rubbing and whacking to physically remove venom. Mammals rely on thick skin, dense fur, or in the honey badger’s case, actual venom resistance at the molecular level. Insects like robber flies attack so quickly the bee can’t deploy its stinger. Spiders use silk to immobilize and venom to paralyze. Frogs and toads grab prey with a tongue strike that’s faster than a sting response.
Stingers are effective enough to deter most casual predators, which is why bees and wasps remain abundant despite this long list of enemies. But for animals that have adapted to the challenge, a colony of bees or a wasp nest represents a concentrated, high-protein food source that’s worth the risk.