Re: Eating Bees

How do I get him to stop.......?

Re: Eating Bees

not to mention, bees are scarce these days. look up colony collapse syndrome. if we lose the bees, we lose pollination. we rely heavily on bee pollination for our food. the chinese have tried pollination by hand and have failed miserably. we need bees more than we realize.

Re: Eating Bees

Saw this question and had to read it because my last dog would catch bees; but only the big, aggressive borer bees that were making holes in the wood parts of the house (I don't think those have stingers, but I'm not sure). Can't help with suggestion because she continued to do it but she didn't eat them. Then again, come to think of it, she tried to catch flies too so maybe it's a game?

Re: Eating Bees

I have a mix-breed female who loves to eat wasps. She did catch a bee by accident once and got stung on the lip. Thankfully since then she's left the honeybees alone, much to our relief as we love having them. But she continues to catch the yellowjackets. She snaps them out of the air, whips them on the floor to stun them and then eats them very carefully while making weird faces. So I am guessing she must find them tasty.

Re: Eating Bees

hello, i had an experience one with a dog we had. his name was ralph, he was half rotty and doberman. one day i came home and ralph's head was swollen and getting bigger every time i looked at him. I hurried him to the vet. the vets best guess was that ralph had been stung by a bee or had eaten one. If i had not come home when i did and gotten him to the vet, the vet said we would of lost him. so please dont let your dog or cats mess with bee's. I had a scarey experience back when i was a teenager and dont want to see any animal look like ralph did when i got home and seen him. so encourage your pet with a big NO if they are messing with a bee.

Re: Eating Bees

even if your dog doesn't have a reaction this time is not to say that he might not develop one in the future. Trust me I know, my dog went into anaphylactic shock...she used to love catching bees and wasps and now she is also allergic to spider bites so i have to keep a close eye on her. My vet recommened that if I was gong to leave her out in the yard unattended with the possiblity of bees being out to give her some benadryl (you would have to check with your vet for dosages) . Of course in your case if your dog hasn't had a reaction yet the best course of action is to keep her away from bees and wasps and of course that means a lot of due diligence on your part...good luck!!

Re: Eating Bees

My pomeranian Koko likes to chase and eat flying bugs, including bees. One day last week he actually caught a bee for a second and quickly spit it out...then he yelped one yelp and ran into the house making funny faces. My guess is that he got a sting. I always worry about that happening as I know how painful stings can be. Bees and wasps constantly buzz around our back door where we let the dogs in and out.
Be very careful of this with your dogs. The next time you go to the vet, ask how much benedryl is appropriate for your size dog and keep some in the house for pet and human emergencies. It's best to be prepared and know who you can give what, and under what circumstances.

Re: Eating Bees

My Dillon (GSD 3 1/2 years old) loves getting bumble bees, the bigger the better. What is that? I do discourage the game of bee chasing but am just waiting for him to come to me with a swollen mouth. He also digs up big spiders as a tasty snack. Very odd behavior. I thought bunnies and birds were the only things we would love to hunt. But Bumble bees seem to be the favorite, and he is very specific, he leaves the wasps and honey bees alone.

I am relieved to know we are not alone in our strange habit.

Carmella & Marshall Dillon

Re: Eating Bees

From observing the bee snapping process in the yard, information gathered suggests that the buzzing the bees make are more of an aggravating sound, almost like a mosquito, but louder. Also, just a tidbit, the big bore bees with the white spot in the center of their foreheads do NOT have a stinger, whereas the solid black heads do.
Thanks for all the other info posted.

Re: Eating Bees

My dog catches and eats bees too, and nothing I've tried has made her stop. Luckily, she hasn't been stung yet, but it scares me.

Re: Eating Bees

My dog does the same, except I haven't found her to actually catch one yet. I don't know how to get her to stop. She certainly doesn't listen to 'No.'

Re: Eating Bees

My 3 yr old GSD Nikita also loves to chase and catch the large bumble bees. we say he is on 'bee patrol' and it is hilarious to watch. he is quite focused on it. he likes to eat them too, although you wouldn't know it to watch him since he makes all kinds of terrible faces. he has even gotten our 1 1/2 yr old GSD/Rott mix chasing them too.

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Well, it's good to know about the borer bees not having stingers, cause my Mallory (german short hair) goes nuts over them. Just last week, I heard her outside doing her ' s about. The borer bees seem to be slower & hang around areas that make it easy for her to get to. Honey bees seem to be quicker & mostly just interested in flowers, which I no longer try to keep in the back yard, cause they end up getting dug by my not so helpful dogs! Definitely seen her chasing flies, but never wasps. By the way, rule of thumb I got from my vet for Benadryl is 1mg for each pound, so 50 pound dog gets a 50 mg tablet.

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I wish I could send you a picture of our Italian Greyhound after she caught a bee. Her whole face swelled up. It was a scarey thing but I haven't seen her chasing bees anymore.

Re: Eating Bees

I'm 70 and have always lived in thecountry and always had several dogs....most of whom lived to eat bees...but also flies who buzz against inside windows....I think it is a game with them....those funny faces they make,, I have observed, is the way they try and "bite" them with only their teeth so as not to get stung....have never had a dog allergic yet, hope not to....don't think there is much you can do! they will do it! too much temptation to see those buzzing, fast-moving creatures. I also wonder if it doesn't help their aches and pains....I have had arthritis for years and years, and have always found that when I am out gardening, picking fruit, etc. and get stung, my arthritis is better for a couple of hours! there is a definate tie=in!

Re: Eating Bees

I'm 70 and have always lived in thecountry and always had several dogs....most of whom lived to eat bees...but also flies who buzz against inside windows....I think it is a game with them....those funny faces they make,, I have observed, is the way they try and "bite" them with only their teeth so as not to get stung....have never had a dog allergic yet, hope not to....don't think there is much you can do! they will do it! too much temptation to see those buzzing, fast-moving creatures. I also wonder if it doesn't help their aches and pains....I have had arthritis for years and years, and have always found that when I am out gardening, picking fruit, etc. and get stung, my arthritis is better for a couple of hours! there is a definate tie=in!

Re: Eating Bees

I'm 70 and have always lived in thecountry and always had several dogs....most of whom lived to eat bees...but also flies who buzz against inside windows....I think it is a game with them....those funny faces they make,, I have observed, is the way they try and "bite" them with only their teeth so as not to get stung....have never had a dog allergic yet, hope not to....don't think there is much you can do! they will do it! too much temptation to see those buzzing, fast-moving creatures. I also wonder if it doesn't help their aches and pains....I have had arthritis for years and years, and have always found that when I am out gardening, picking fruit, etc. and get stung, my arthritis is better for a couple of hours! there is a definate tie=in!

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I KEEP THE BENEDRYL HANDY, JUST IN CASE. MY 13 YR OLD PIT, WHO ACTS AS IF SHE IS 3, WILL CHASE AND CATCH A BEE. SHE HAS GOTTEN STUNG ON HER MUZZLE, LOOKED AS IF SHE HAD THE MUMPS. WITH THE MEDS, IT WENT AWAY. WE LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFRONIA, SO WE HAVE LOTS OF BEES. WITH OUR FRUIT TREES, ETC. IF I SEE HER OUTSIDE TRYING TO CATCH ONE, A VERY FIRM NO WILL STOP HER.....SHE DOES NOT LIKE TO HER A LOUD VOICE, FOR I HARDLY EVER HAVE TO TELL HER NO, FIRMLY. SO WHEN I DO, SHE KNOWS SHE IS IN TROUBLE. VERY GOOD LITTLE GIRL. MY OTHER 2 LITLE TACO DOGGIES HAVE NO INTEREST IN THEM, THANK GOODNESS!!!

Re: Eating Bees

My Great Dane also chases bees, moths, anything that flies. I have not yet seen her eat a bee or anything. Any crawling insect she will "stomp" on until it is dead - she doesn't eat these either. The one thing she goes crazy over is ants. She will dig up ant beds and eat the ants! I know she gets bitten because of the way she acts, but it won't stop her. I have tried telling her no, but she continues to dig them up and eat them.

Re: Eating Bees

Leash training is about the best remedy for this behaviour.
The bees wasps ants anything that dogs catch and eat are a source of entertainment, so its training the dog to think differently.
Always ask yourself if the dog is bored.. replacing this activity with something else usually does the trick.

Re: Eating Bees

Please use a little commonsense, no one, not even 4-legged animals should eat bees. Would you like to?

Re: Eating Bees

Our doberman, Gypsy, loved the blueberry bushes. She, too, was stung and the vet had to give her medication. Her cheeks were big and crunched like leather. Luckily, that happened only once and we took the bushes away from her run.

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My 1 and 1/2 year old puppy(Boxer/Lab mix)eats anythig that flies and digs up just the top layer of dirt to eat somethng,I am not sure what she is eating then but I have caught her quite a few times today doing that.I don't think that she eaten a bee yet and hopefully she will not.My older dog(8 year old Lab/shepard/greyhound mix)ate a be once and I believe she was stung because she spit it out real quick.Now if I tell her NO she will walk away.The puppy on the other hand is very stuborn,she will not listen and I am trying to train her to listen.

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My Rusty chases and catches bees. He goes after both the bumble bees and those big black ones. I've tried to stop him with no luck. Its like a game of chase. He is part Dobie part Lab and chases anything that moves. I've given him Benadryl a few times just to be safe. It scares me though that he will get stung when I'm not home. If anyone knows how to stop them from chasing and catching them please let me know.

Re: Eating Bees

yep been there done that my sheltie cross was the same way she would go after wasps when we first moved in a doublewide trailer because they had made a nest before we moved in the metal of the home well i used some silicone and sealed the hole when it got cold and stopped the problem but then we got a doxie cross and the bee's started making nests in the roof for the deck and both were going at them

Re: Eating Bees

Be careful what kind of a bee your dog chases. A dog I had got into a nest of bees living under a shed and was stung six or seven times by one bee. I called Vector Control, described the bee, and was told that it was a "Sonora" bee which can sting more than one time. Also within the last couple of weeks a dog in the area died as a result of being stung by a swarm of African-ized bees. I live in California.

Re: Eating Bees

I really appreciate all the comments about bee eating. My little cocapoo ran after them so fast. She seemed to love the sport. I finally located the cause for most of the bees coming in the yard. It was a very small leak in the faucet for the garden hose.. I replaced the faucet and "Mysweetmolly doesn't seem to miss them.

Re: Eating Bees

Several of my dogs enjoy the bee chasing activity. They try to eat them. I'm not sure if it's a game or they are just annoyed by them. One got stung and had to be taken to the vet as Benedryl wasn't helping. I've tried everything to get them to stop but to no avail....clanging two pots together, screaming, offering a cookie..............

Re: Eating Bees

Absolutely not a good thing for a dog to do. I remember once my dog Pinky got stung on the nose and it was swollen for days. I imagine very painful, too. She stayed away after that!!!

Re: Eating Bees

Please, please don't let your dog eat bees! My precious Obediah ate a bee and ended up dying right in my arms! It was horrible. I think the bee stung him in the throat and it swelled shut and he died. There wasn't even time to get him anywhere! Please find a way to break your pet of this! From someone who's been there...very unhappily!

Re: Eating Bees

What about cats?

Re: Eating Bees

Take Lori on's advice, do not let your animals chase bees. If a bee stings a dog in the throat the irritation of the sting causes the throat to swell and reluctantly closes the wind pipe, the dog must be rushed to the vet (IF THERE IS TIME), most in those situtations will not make it. Unfortuantly I have no solution to prevent dogs from chasing or eating them, just keep an eye on them. CHARLIgurl1 had some good advice for prevention. Some may think it is funny or cute, but it is no laughing matter. PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUS. Keep Benedryl on had (inquire on proper dosage from vet)