Giant Armadillos vs. Bees

When conservationists heard of aparists complaints against giant armadillos (Priodontes maximus) destroying bee hives in Brazil, they were skeptical since the armored mammal was known to feed on ants and termites. Camera traps provided the evidence of the giants toppling bee hives not to feed on honey, but for the bee larvae. [photo credit: WACI]  It is an easy, protein rich meal for armadillos, but a loss of income for beekeepers.  So retaliatory killings are the result of the conflict. Armadillos are very slow reproducers, producing just one pup every three years. Any loss of an adult has an impact on the species' survival chances.  

An NGO, Wild Animal Conservation Institute, sponsors a program to encourage peaceful co-existence between humans and armadillos. Beekeepers are allowed to sell their honey at a higher price if they employ mitigation measures instead of killing the otherwise unobstrusive creatures. The certification provided to cooperating farmers increases the value of their product by about 20% in local markets in the Cerrado region. Conservationists want to expand the program into the Amazon rainforest.

Apiarists in the Cerrado place their hives near native flowers for their bees to pollinate. This location is also near the armadillos who inhabit what remains of the Cerrado native biome. An armadillo can destroy five bee hives in one night. One beekeeper lost 120 hives in two weeks, representing a significant monetary loss. The animals are large and strong, and their scales protect them from bee stings. They stand on their hind legs and use their head to topple bee hives mounted on racks 2-3 feet above the ground. Bee hives weigh around 75-80 pounds. [photo above].Beekeepers appreciate Nature since their livelihood relies on natural surroundings, so many are willing to engage with the sustainable honey program. Armadillos turn to bee larvae for survival if their habitat is disturbed, as in the heavily fragmented Cerrado savanna where fifty percent of the land has been converted to agriculture.  In the Pantanal, giant armadillos do not eat bee larvae because Nature there is more pristine. Unable to eat bee larvae, they go back to eating their normal food, ants and termites. 

Armadillos are valuable members of the ecosystem. They dig deep tunnels that often shelter twenty other species including peccaries, ocelots and giant anteaters.  Like elephants they are ecosystem engineers, modifying the landscape for the benefit of all.  Fortunately for armadillos the conflict with humans is rooted in one cause, destruction of beehives.  Unlike the conflict with jaguars, which is affected by cultural bias.  Once mitigation measures make it impossible for the animals to destroy hives, the conflict abates and everyone can live in peace.