Hi Tom/All
 
Bees will feed on such sources if they have the urge. It is possible
they are collecting a sugar from the feed - I would geuss that being
a chicken feed it will have some spent malt (I think it's called
grist) - this is the stuff that is left over after a brewery has
finished extracting nutrients from malt to make beer. It still
contains a few % maltose - a sweet sugar bees will collect, which I
gather is not fantastic for them though. It will also contain other
things that will excite them a bit.
 
I have heard of bees colecting animal feed as pollen - but have never
seen this myself.
 
The danger is that one sting will nock a chicken out - birds are
extremely sensitive to bee venom. I know that some ostrich farmers in
my area actually purposefully remove wild beehives within 500m of
lucerne (alfalfa) fields here so as to avaoid losing birds to
accidental stings incurred by a bird eating a bee on a flower.
 
It may be worthwile doing something to stop the foraging - like
putting the food under a roof in the shade - this reduces the chances
of bees going to it as they seldom fly in shaded areas if the air
temperature is below their body temperature.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
 
Keep well
 
Garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
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