I noticed a few honeybees collecting coffee grounds from my compost bin the other day when it was 50 degrees in January. I’ve heard many times that they do this, but I had never seen it until then. I posted it to FB and the speculation and conjecture began immediately. Comments ranged from “That is very bad for them! Remove the coffee at once!” to “They may be after something we don’t know about.” I can’t be the only person out here with coffee grounds on a compost pile, and I tend to think the bees know better than me.
Berks County PA Honey Bee Removal 19601 
I will have to include this in my tests. I drink quite a bit of coffee and so would have many grounds available to place make available. They look like they are still moist so I will make sure it is similar. How close is the compost to the hive?
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These were very dry actually, and about 50 yards from the closest colony. I doubt the bees will touch this once real pollen becomes available though.
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I noticed my bees also bringing in what looks like pollen. I know better, though. Then my neighbor told me they were all over the corn dust from under her deer feeder.
Thanks again for the great bees that I got from you last year. I am so happy they survived the winter treatment free! 🐝
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I’m so glad your bees are doing well. I hope you can split them 3 or 4 ways this spring. I can’t wait to see if their parent colony is still alive in that tree. As far as the corn dust, many would say it’s not good, but I’ve never seen evidence that it is harmful. It must contain some much needed protein and carbs to hold them over until real pollen is out there. Keep me posted. I’d love to trade a frames of eggs (to raise a queen) so I can have some of those good genetics!
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I live in the country and toss my coffee grounds outside. I also observed about five honeybees very interested in partaking of them on a few warm days in January.
I am delighted to help them in any way I can, as they are being exterminated by various pesticides, parasites,and fungal diseases.
I put a handful of pure sugar out amidst the coffe grounds, and they had no interest all in the sugar!
I love honeybees! We will not survive without them on our Earth!
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Yep. They only go after the coffee when there’s nothing else. They’re ignoring them now. Thanks for reading my blog!
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I was very happy to see your blog when I googled “honeybees and coffee grounds”.
Thanks for writing about it!
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Hello,
I am in Aurora, Co. Elev. 5800 and am setting up 6 – 4 x 4 raised beds. I have been collecting coffee grounds from our local coffee house and currently it is the only thing in my 6 beds. about 1/2 inch or so. Imagine my surprise today when I went out to the partially snow covered beds to find oodles of bees picking up coffee grounds. I hope I am reading this blog post correctly and don’t have to worry they are harming themselves. If anybody knows anything to the contrary, please let me know ASAP.
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It won’t harm them at all. 🙂
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Thank you so much for responding! I was hoping that was the case and certainly wanted to be sure.
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We just started having few honey bees a year ago. All the hive survive for the winter and now it’s early spring. I notice a lot of bees go crazy for “used coffee grounds “that I sprinkle to my flower beds. I observed them for a long time and still can’t conclude if they are collecting the grounds or simply trying to get rid of the mites. Any thought?
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Spring bees would have very low mite levels, so nothing to get rid of. They are collecting the coffee.
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They also like crushed corn. I have been mixed coffee powder and corn to attract than to my window. It’s working. Next I will separate coffee and corn and see what they prefer.
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