Crab spider eating a native bee
Bug Squad
Article

Spiders Know Where the Bees Are

  • May 28, 2026
  • By Kathy Keatley Garvey
A bold jumping spider quickly nails its prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A bold jumping spider quickly nails its prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spiders know where the bees are.

Crab spiders hide in the petals and ambush foraging bees.  Orbweavers build sticky, silken webs. Jumping spiders actively stalk or pounce on bees. 

The predators and the prey...

I spotted a bold jumping spider in our lavender patch this week and watched it nail a honey bee. It proved too fast for my camera settings, and before I could focus for another shot, it quickly dropped on the ground for a bee lunch.

Both bees and spiders are vital to our ecosystem. Honey bees pollinate our fruits and flowers. Spiders control pest insects, including aphids and flies. 

A few images of spiders and the bees:

A crab spider nails a honey bee.
A crab spider nails a honey bee in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
An orbweaver nails its prey, a honey bee, in its sticky web.
An orbweaver catches its prey, a honey bee, in its sticky web.  (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A crab spider waiting for a bee.
A crab spider waiting for a bee in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Cover image: Crab spider eating a native bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)