Harvestmen and the Honey Bee Mystery in My Garden

I photographed something unexpected in my flower garden recently—a Harvestman, also known as a Daddy Longlegs, feasting on a honey bee! It was such a strange sight that my first reaction was, How did the Harvestman manage to get hold of a honey bee? After all, honey bees are usually fast and agile, not exactly the type of prey I would imagine a slow-moving Harvestman could catch. This curiosity led me to do some digging into the feeding habits of Harvestmen, and what I found confirmed my initial suspicion: the honey bee must have already been dead.

The Omnivorous Diet of Harvestmen

Harvestmen are actually fascinating little creatures when it comes to their diet. They are omnivorous scavengers, meaning they’ll munch on just about anything that comes their way, as long as it’s manageable. Here’s a quick breakdown of their typical diet:

• Small insects and other arthropods (both alive and dead)
• Plant matter and fungi
• Dead animals (scavenging)
• Fecal matter

This variety in diet shows that while they can eat live prey, they’re primarily opportunistic feeders and scavengers, especially when it comes to larger insects.

How Do Harvestmen Feed?

Unlike spiders, Harvestmen don’t have venomous fangs to immobilize their prey. Instead, they use tiny pinchers called chelicerae to tear their food into small, manageable pieces. These pinchers aren’t strong enough to tackle large, fast-moving prey like a honey bee in its prime, which is why it seemed so odd for me to find one eating a bee.

Some Harvestmen species also secrete a chemical glue from their pedipalps, which helps them capture smaller, softer-bodied live prey. But honey bees, with their tough exoskeletons and active buzzing flight, are well out of the league for these little pinchers. This further confirms the idea that the bee must have been either dead or dying before the Harvestman got to it.

Scavenging Behavior: The Key to the Puzzle

While my initial instinct was that a Harvestman wouldn’t have the strength or ability to catch a honey bee, my research showed that they are skilled scavengers. They’re known to feed on dead insects, and in some cases, Harvestmen have been observed hanging around beehives, taking advantage of the worker bees that are discarded by hive members. Honey bee colonies naturally get rid of dead or weak bees to maintain a healthy environment, and creatures like Harvestmen are more than happy to pick up the remains.

Given this, it’s safe to say that the honey bee I saw in my garden was likely dead before the Harvestman found it. The Harvestman, always on the lookout for a free meal, simply seized the opportunity.

Conclusion

Though it’s not a common sight to see a Harvestman eating a honey bee, this fascinating event in my garden gave me a chance to learn more about these odd little creatures. While they’re not built to take down something as large and robust as a living honey bee, Harvestmen are excellent scavengers, often relying on dead or dying insects for food. It was a reminder of how nature’s opportunists work quietly behind the scenes, cleaning up what others leave behind.

Next time you spot a Daddy Longlegs in your garden, know that they’re likely doing more good than harm, tidying up nature’s leftovers!