Quick Answer
Purple martins are insectivorous birds that feed on flying insects like dragonflies, wasps, flies, moths, butterflies, and bees. They do sometimes eat honeybees that are flying around outside the hive. However, purple martins are not a major predator of honeybees. Their diet consists of many different flying insects, so they will not specifically target honeybees. A healthy honeybee colony with thousands of workers can withstand some predation from purple martins and other birds. The martins are more likely to eat bees that are outside the hive, not the ones inside. Overall, purple martins eating some honeybees is natural, and they are not considered a major threat to managed honeybee colonies. With proper hive management, honeybee colonies can thrive even in areas with purple martins present.
Do Purple Martins Eat Bees?
Yes, purple martins do eat bees as part of their varied insectivorous diet. Purple martins are aerial insectivores, which means they capture insects while flying. They eat a wide variety of flying insects including dragonflies, flies, moths, butterflies, mosquitoes, wasps, and bees.
Honeybees and bumblebees are part of the diet of many purple martin populations. The martins hunt for bees that are away from the hive actively foraging for nectar and pollen. Bees flying around flowers in open areas or between their hives are vulnerable to predation by aerial hunting purple martins. The martins are less likely to prey on the bees that remain inside the hive.
Research on purple martin diets has found bee remains and parts in their nests, confirming honeybees and native bees are eaten by these birds. However, bees typically make up a relatively small percentage of their overall diet compared to flies, dragonflies, moths, and other insects. Purple martins do selectively target bees, but also subsist on many other insect species they opportunistically capture while flying over fields, yards, wetlands, and other open habitats.
Do Purple Martins Specifically Target Honey Bees?
Purple martins do not specifically target honey bees over other insects. While they do consume some bees, honey bees are not their sole or primary food source. Purple martins are generalist predators that feed on a wide range of flying insects based on seasonal and local availability.
Dragonflies, flies, moths, butterflies, mosquitoes, wasps, and other insects are also heavily consumed by purple martins depending on location and time of year. Martins hunt opportunistically for any insect prey they can easily capture mid-flight over open areas near their nesting sites.
Though bees may comprise part of their varied diet, especially in the summer when bee activity increases, purple martins do not seek out honey bee hives to raid or exclusively hunt honey bees. Their generalized diet means honey bees are only a small component of the many insects they will readily feed on. This helps minimize the impact of purple martin predation on managed honey bee hives in areas where both co-occur.
Do Purple Martins Eat Honey Bees from Hives?
Purple martins are unlikely to prey heavily on honey bees directly from managed hives. The martins primarily capture insects while flying over open habitats. This means they mainly consume bees that are away from the hive foraging, not the bees working inside the hive.
Though purple martins may opportunistically grab a few bees flying in or out of a hive, they do not have adaptations or behaviors to raid bee colonies. Purple martins do not have the tools or abilities to break into hives to access bees and honey stores inside. And managed bee hives kept elevated on platforms or poles are less accessible to the high-flying purple martins.
While a few bees returning to the hive laden with pollen or nectar may get eaten by aerial hunting martins, the majority of bees leaving and entering the hive will remain safe. Martins cannot devastate or depredate an entire healthy, well-managed colony with thousands of workers. So purple martins are very unlikely to cause major damage to strong honey bee hives.
Do Purple Martins Eat Honey Bees More Than Other Birds?
Purple martins do not eat honey bees significantly more than other common insect-eating bird species. Many bird types will opportunistically predator on honey bees and other bees when possible.
Birds like swallows, swifts, nighthawks, flycatchers, and some songbirds will all consume flying insect prey including bees. However, bees comprise only a small portion of their varied diets. These aerial insectivores all feed on diverse insects based on seasonal availability.
Purple martins eat honey bees, but not disproportionately more than other common insect-eating birds. In fact, smaller songbirds like kingbirds may be more likely to sit near flowers and prey on foraging honey bees. Larger purple martins tend to hunt higher up and cover more open ground, taking bees only occasionally as part of their varied flying insect diet.
So while purple martins do sometimes eat honey bees, they do not single them out or depend on them more than other insectivorous bird species. The bees are just part of their generalized diet alongside many other flying insects.
Impact of Purple Martins on Honey Bee Colonies
The predation impact of purple martins on managed European honey bee hives is typically minor. A few key reasons why purple martins are not considered a major threat to honey bee colonies:
- Purple martins have a varied insect diet, not just focused on bees.
- Martins cannot access bees inside the protective hive.
- Martins hunt while flying, so mainly take bees away from the hive.
- Strong hives have thousands of workers that can withstand some predation.
- Beekeepers can use elevated hive stands to make hives less accessible.
- Purple martins preferentially nest in elevated cavities, keeping them away from hives.
- Martins help reduce other bee predators like wasps, hornets, and flies.
With proper hive management and healthy colonies with lots of workers, losses to purple martins are minimal and manageable. The martins may take some older foraging bees, but this does not put a major dent in an entire colony�s worker numbers or survival.
Typical Predation Rates on Honey Bees
Research on purple martin diets and predation rates indicates they do take some bees, but estimates vary:
- 3% of prey items – One Arizona diet study
- Up to 15% of prey items – Some studies of martins in the Midwest
- Average around 5-10% of total prey intake – Surveys of multiple populations
These diet studies show purple martins eat bees, but at a low to moderate rate compared to other insects, averaging less than 10% of total prey intake across locations. This confirms honey bees are not a primary food source, just a supplemental item in their diverse aerial insectivory.
For a managed hive with thousands of workers, losing 5-10% of foraging bees to predation is a sustainable loss that strong colonies can withstand while still gathering ample nectar and pollen. So purple martin predation on bees, even in the upper estimates, should not substantially harm overall hive productivity and health.
Mitigating Purple Martin Predation on Hives
Some options to help minimize purple martin predation on honey bee hives:
- Elevate hives on stands/platforms to make them less accessible to flying martins.
- Place hives away from large open foraging areas where martins concentrate.
- Provide elevated bird houses to encourage martins to nest there rather than near hives.
- Have well-sealed entrances, fences, nets to prevent martins from accessing hives.
- Site apiaries away from known purple martins nesting sites when possible.
Proper hive placement, exclusion devices, and keeping colonies strong through good beekeeping practices allows honey bees and purple martins to co-occur in the same areas with minimal conflict. The bees may lose some older foragers to martin predation when outside the hive, but strong colonies will still thrive and produce well.
Benefits of Purple Martins for Beekeepers
Though they do eat some bees, purple martins may also provide some benefits to managed honey bee colonies:
- Prey on bee predators – Martins eat wasps, hornets, dragonflies, and flies that may also prey on honey bees.
- Reduce competition for cavities – Martins nest in elevated boxes, reducing competition for apiary hive spaces.
- Scout for apiary pests – Nesting martins may alert beekeepers to hive beetles, moths, and other apiary pests they feed on.
- Help pollination – Martins feed on crop pests, allowing more insect pollination.
- Natural form of bee pest control – Selective culling of older foraging bees may strengthen honey bee genetics and immunity to diseases/parasites.
Having nesting boxes nearby may help attract purple martins that will aid in controlling flies, wasps, beetles, and other bee hive pests. This balanced ecosystem allows beekeepers to support both robust honey bee colonies and healthy purple martin populations.
Conclusion
Purple martins are insectivorous birds that occasionally prey on honey bees, but they are not considered a major threat or cause of significant losses to managed bee colonies. Martins have a diverse diet of many flying insects, so bees comprise only a small percentage of prey items. They primarily take bees that are away from the hive foraging. With proper hive placement and exclusion techniques, healthy colonies with plentiful workers can withstand martin predation on some older foraging bees. Additionally, purple martins may benefit apiaries by reducing other bee predators. Overall, purple martins and honey bees can co-exist in the same areas when proper hive management practices are followed and colonies are kept strong with lots of worker bees. The moderate bee predation by martins is part of a natural ecosystem balance that allows both honey production and flourishing purple martin populations.