Predation of Macaca cyclopis on flying bees

This report documents the predation of Macaca cyclopis (Taiwanese macaque) on the flying adults of ground-nesting leaf-cutting bee, Trachusa formosanum. With observations and video recordings of an incident in the wild, we detail how adult and juvenile macaques capture and consume bees during their flight, with varying success rates. Seizing the correct timing when the bees fly low to approach their nests is the key skill for bee hunting. This predation occurs during the breeding season of T. formosanum, when the bees’ nests are spatially concentrated, making them a spatially and temporally predictable food source for the macaques. The findings highlight that M. cyclopis do exploit seasonal high-protein food resources, and provide new insights into their dietary habits, with potential implications for understanding foraging-relevant social learning in primates. Further studies are needed to explore the potential nutritional significance of this behavior and its role in macaque reproductive strategies.

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Figure 1. A Macaca cyclopis adult. The background is the open tree-shade landscape where the leaf-cutting bee Trachusa formosanum adults aggregately build their ground nests

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Published in Primates, Volume 66, pages 343–347, (2025)

Authors: Ai-Ching Meng, Tien Hsieh, Sheng-Shan Lu & Hsi-Cheng Ho

Full text: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10329-025-01189-1