March 11, 2011

Time Flies Like an Arrow, But Bees Like Coffee

Bees in a bucket of espresso and regular coffee grounds.

I regularly pick up buckets of coffee grounds from a coffeehouse in town, because they make a great soil amendment.

Yesterday these wild bees (if that's what they are—must look more closely) discovered the coffee. They are back today.

Aren't bees naturally "buzzed" enough? They need coffee?

I know that my readership includes at least one jackleg bee researcher, so I am hoping to be enlightened.

The headline, by the way, derives from a classic example of a "garden path sentence."

8 comments:

Steve Bodio said...

Look like mellifera (honeybees)-- though a few natives do. If I am that jackleg researcher (;-))

Chas S. Clifton said...

If they are domestic honeybees, I wonder where they come from. I was unaware of any of my neighbors (within half a mile or more) raising bees.

Tam said...

"Aren't bees naturally "buzzed" enough?"

Ain't you 'shamed? ;)

Stephen Olner said...

bee's will fly up to two miles or more. They may well be wild honey bee's from a swarm that escaped a bee keeper. There will be atree somewhere with a hive in it if there are no local neighbours with them

Galen Geer said...

when i come this summer I'll be sure to bring my survival kit, in case a bee decides to leave me a gift of its stinger.
glg

Steve Bodio said...

I should add to Steveo's true comment that we have plenty of feral colonies at least here- and on the Rio, they are a bit "Africanized" genetically though no incidents I am aware of. I have seen a swarm in the Magdalenas, and colonies in ledges and hollow trees.

Chas S. Clifton said...

Now that that is settled, why coffee grounds?

Anonymous said...

My bees like coffee too. Must go well with honey. As long as they don't start smoking.