5 Animals That Eat Honey
The product that the bees make to feed the entire hive is desired by other species, which do their utmost to obtain it. Would you like to know which animals eat honey? There are others besides the bear!
Examples of animals that eat honey
Honey is a sweet and delicious product that we can use to sweeten a cup of tea or a dessert, and this is generally very appreciated in nature.
As soon as the bees produce it, other species are desperate to consume this golden elixir. Some of the animals that eat honey are:
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Brown bear
It’s the first example that comes to mind when we think of animals that eat honey. The grizzly bear’s diet (picture that opens this article) is omnivorous and can change depending on the time of year.
At the end of the summer, several animals “sack” the hives. And they not only devour honey, but also larvae and bees.
Their appetites are really voracious, as after a while they will need to hibernate all winter long. And that’s why he needs to gain weight quickly!
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Zambezi Indicatoridae
Some members of the Piciformes family are also called ‘honey hunters’, as one of their main foods is the nectar produced by bees.
They can be found in Asia and Africa and are famous for their interaction with humans.
Their feathers are dark, their size is small, and they have a very skillful short, thin beak.
At any time of year, these birds go to the hives to feast on honey and larvae, wax and royal jelly.
They supplement their diet with earthworms, spiders, fruits and small insects.
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honey badger
It is said that the birds Indicatoridae inform the way for badgers (and some people) come to bee colonies.
Why? Because they need someone who can open the hives for them.
That’s where the third of the honey-eating animals on this list comes into play.
The honey badger is a carnivore from the Middle East, Africa and India, with a robust and elongated body, equipped with nails suitable for digging.
The honey badger feeds on carrion, rodents, birds, small antelopes, lizards, frogs and invertebrates. Sometimes it even eats berries and roots, and loves the sweet, golden nectar produced by bees.
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Beehive beetle
This insect is so fond of honey that it lays its eggs in the hives so that the larvae can feed on it. So it became a pest.
Endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, the small beetle has spread to other countries such as the United States, the Philippines and Australia.
If a specimen spawns in the colony, and the bees are not strong enough, the larvae can consume all the honey and pollen stored, which would be the end of the hive.
Therefore, beekeepers tirelessly fight against this small , half-centimeter long, dark brown beetle, which does not live longer than six months, but whose production damage is irreparable.
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Weasel
Finally, another carnivorous mammal that, although it may have a lovely face, is quite dangerous.
It is a medium-sized nocturnal predator that lives in southern and central Europe, as well as in Southeast Asia and near the Himalayas.
The weasel feeds on small mammals and rodents, amphibians, insects, fruits, eggs and honey. To get food, you can walk a lot within your own territory.
Males delimit their territory in a diameter of between 2 and 10 kilometers, in which they prepare a burrow between rocks or trees.
