I had several people ask me within two days (it was suitable flight weather for the bees) why the honey bees were massed on piles of spent coffee grounds they had thrown on top of their compost piles/bins.    The bees seem to prefer the fresher grounds (from that day) over ones from previous days.

I did a "Google" search and did not find any reliable source with answers.  I also searched this forum and found postings in 1996 asking the same question, but did not see any responses.

My immediate answer is I would check with more experienced and knowledgeable bee keepers than I, but my first speculation was it could be the bees are after some trace mineral or even whatever water they can extract from the freshly spent and still wet coffee grounds as they seemed to ignore the dried coffee grounds next to the wet ones.     Since it was St. Patrick's Day, I joked the girls were getting their "buzz on"  from the caffeine.

I then encountered it first hand when I visited a bee yard where I have (had) some colonies (the winter was not kind) where a bee keeper friend lives (he also has colonies there).   There I observed bees heavily working the freshly spent coffee grounds.   Maybe 30 yards away the bees were also heavily working the water source we provided for them... so I question if the bees working the grounds were after the moisture.

I remember reading an article about honey bees and caffeine but Murphy's Law prevents me from finding it when I really wanted to read it again.  

Does anyone have any explanations?   Thanks

Steve Petrilli
Central Illinois

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