Insect predators often hang around the bee hive and catch a hapless worker going about her honey collecting business. Here a praying mantis (Mantodea) drops in for an afternoon bee snack without being asked to tea. The mantis methodically munched away on the bee body, likely enjoying a sweet treat when it reached the bee’s honey stomach.
Another bee snacker at the hive was a Wheel bug (Arilus cristatus). The bees ignored it as it moved about on the front ledge of the hive bottom board. Eventually it pounced and extended its sturdy beak down into the bees interior.
Then there are those pest that come to “tea” at the hive and never leave. The Varroa Mite (Varroa destructor). It is a parasitic pest that feeds and reproduces in the cell of a developing bee. The mother (Foundress) mite enters the pupa cell just before it is capped. It then starts laying eggs, with the first egg laid being a male. Subsequent eggs are female who all then mate with their brother mite.
When the bee emerges from the cell, all these fertilized mites become foundresses and quickly cause a population explosion. If the mites are not controlled with mite treatments, they will decimate a hive by spreading diseases and viruses such as DWV (Deformed Wing Virus).
To estimate the number of mites in a hive, a few bees can be rolled in powdered sugar to knock off the attached mites. Above are mites on a paper plate after a sugar roll and the other is a close up of three mites.
The moral to this story is to be careful who you invite to afternoon tea!
Robin Bee Tea 