Bees, including honey bees and most native species, are not predators of mosquitoes. Bees are pollinators whose primary function is collecting pollen and nectar to feed their colony and larvae. Mosquitoes also require sugar for energy, which they get from plant nectar. Additionally, females of many mosquito species require a blood meal to produce eggs.
The Biological Divide
The fundamental biology of the bee prevents it from being an active mosquito predator. Bees are herbivores; their entire life cycle is fueled by carbohydrates from nectar and protein from pollen. The adult bee’s digestive system is designed to process these plant materials, not insect tissue.
Predatory insects, such as hunting wasps and mantids, possess specialized mandibles and hunting instincts that bees lack. Bees use their mandibles primarily for manipulating wax, grooming, and moving objects, not for capturing flying insects. While rare species, like the South American vulture bee, feed on carrion, this is an exception that does not involve hunting live prey.
The social structure of bees dictates their behavior, focusing efforts on foraging for floral resources to support the hive’s brood. Bees lack the metabolic need for the concentrated insect protein that drives true predators. A bee’s sting is a defense mechanism against large threats, such as mammals, and is not a tool for hunting small, agile flying insects like mosquitoes. Their life is centered on gathering, not hunting.
Shared Habitats, Different Interactions
Bees and mosquitoes inhabit the same general environments, especially areas with flowering plants and standing water. Adult mosquitoes, both male and female, consume plant nectar for energy, making them frequent visitors to the same floral sources bees utilize. Both insects are drawn to nectar, but their interaction at these sites is incidental.
The sharing of nectar resources results in mild competition for food rather than predatory interaction. A mosquito may land on a flower to feed, and a bee may land on the same flower, but the bee will simply ignore the mosquito. Mosquitoes require standing water for their larval stage, a habitat bees generally avoid unless collecting water for cooling the hive or diluting honey.
Any physical contact between the two insects is accidental and typically non-confrontational. A bee’s focus is entirely on the flower and its resources, possessing no behavioral drive to engage with a mosquito. The incidental overlap in their environment does not result in any meaningful population control of mosquitoes by bees.
Actual Natural Mosquito Predators
Since bees do not control mosquito populations, other organisms actively prey on them in nature. Dragonflies, often called “mosquito hawks,” are highly effective predators in both their aquatic and adult stages. Dragonfly nymphs live in the water and ambush mosquito larvae, which are a significant food source.
Adult dragonflies are aerial hunters that catch adult mosquitoes in flight, consuming them immediately. Specialized predatory mosquitoes, such as those in the genus Toxorhynchites, also exist. Their larvae prey on the larvae of other mosquito species, but the adults feed only on nectar.
Bats are opportunistic nighttime predators that consume numerous flying insects, including mosquitoes. Mosquitoes often make up a small percentage of their overall diet compared to larger insects like moths and beetles. Certain birds, such as swallows and nighthawks, also contribute to mosquito control by catching them mid-air during evening feeding times. Many small fish, like the mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), are purposefully introduced to standing water because they voraciously consume mosquito larvae.