[Pollinator] Buzzy Honey Bees

[Ladadams at aol.com]

Many thanks, Dr. Jim Cane for this -  
Folks- here was a surprise at our compost pile this weekend.  A  dozen 
honey bees were actively collecting and packing coffee grounds,  selecting the 
finer powder to make pellets the color of baking chocolate.   You can see 
them in the attached pictures.  One can only wonder what this  dietary additive 
is doing for hive mates.  It could be a whole new  buzz!  At least most of 
the caffeine and polyphenolics should have been  extracted in brewing the 
coffee.  No doubt this odd resource use was the  result of our first spring 
weather, warm enough for bee flight, but without any  bloom yet available for 
foraging.  StarBuckfast bees! 
cheers 
jim   
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