Bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught in the air by flights from an open perch. The stinger is removed by repeatedly hitting and rubbing the insect on a hard surface. During this process, pressure is applied to the insect thereby extracting most of the venom.Bee-eaters may be killed by raptors, their nests are raided by rodents and snakes, and they can carry various parasites.