European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) in Kruger National Park. After the breeding season which is between southern Europe and northwestern Africa, the European Bee-eaters migrate south by day in small family groups from mid-July to mid-August and will arrive in South Africa from mid-September to early October. European bee-eaters especially like honey bees, bumble bees, hornets, and wasps but also eat dragonflies. They remove the sting of stinging insects before eating them.