Bees in my feeder

[vblivenml]

It has been an unusually warms fall/winter and now that all the flowers have died off I have been getting tons of bumble bees in my feeder. I know they flock the the food because of the dust but I am wondering if anyone else is having this issue and if anyone has any solutions. In the spring we usually have a good enough amount of flowers bloom early enough for the bees to not swarm the food but how do I manage this in the winter when nothing is blooming?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Bumble bees or honeybees?
I've had honeybees get into the feed in winter on warm days. Not so much bumble bees. They are after the protein in the feed when pollen isn't available. Pollen is how bees get protein. Depending the pollen source, it could be anywhere from 4-60%. Without a source of protein, they can't raise bee larvae and in most areas, queens begin to lay shortly after winter solstice. Pretty soon, they need pollen stores or a source of protein to feed the kids.
I would just say let them do their thing. They won't hurt anything at all.
Live and let live.

 

[BlackberryFarmer]

It has been an unusually warms fall/winter and now that all the flowers have died off I have been getting tons of bumble bees in my feeder. I know they flock the the food because of the dust but I am wondering if anyone else is having this issue and if anyone has any solutions. In the spring we usually have a good enough amount of flowers bloom early enough for the bees to not swarm the food but how do I manage this in the winter when nothing is blooming?

I am having this issue also. I have to leave the lid off my food during the day so the bees can escape or I find several dead on the top of the feed. I had one person say they were after the mineral in the feed. I have a friend who keeps bees and I will try to see if he knows anything about it. I was thinking if I made a external dish for the bees they may not burrow into my feed. I noticed the chickens do not go around the bucket when the bees are really busy.

 

[vblivenml]

Thank you! And yes they are honey bees. I have the same issue with them getting in the feeder and dying but I the chickens LOVE the dead bees so I let them coexist. It just becomes a pain when I need to refill the feeder and I have to now compete against bees and a chicken that absolutely loathes me.

 

[tigger19687]

They think it is a pollen or maybe protein.
My bees didn't go to the feed so, meh, if they are hungry let them come. They don't eat much now if it was mice,,,,, no