Bees swarming around feed

[Jeffcohappyhens]

Hi there,

I'm having issues that last 3 days with bees swarming around my feed containers. There are about 30-50 bees at times. They show up around 10am and leave around dusk. No matter where I set it they come. I'm feeding manna pro triple duty with organic scratch grain mixed in a little and omega 3 booster. I just switched to triple duty as the turkeys I have needed more protein and now I supplement calcium powder in their water for my laying chickens.
Anyone have any ideas to stop the bees. I've set a sugar bowl out hoping they would move and that's a negative so far.

Thanks,
Phil

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There's a lengthy discussion about bees on feed on this thread that starts on this page.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/693812/the-old-folks-home/10730

It goes on for 20 pages or more so you might have to have some patience but it will give you food for thought.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

The bees are swarming the feed because their natural food source is unavailable right now. When the weather was warm yesterday I had them in my feeder as well. Usually I set a separate feed bowl out for them (not because they bother the birds, I just don't want the chickens eating the honey bees, which is what ours are).
I leave them to it, they pollinate all of my flowers and are just plain cute, so I figure I can spare a little food and water for them

 

[BrickWall Honey]

I am always happy to see honey bees in the feed this time of year. That means that they've made it this far into the winter time and gathering additional food. With no pollen now they will use the feed dust themselves. Since I keep about 300K bees and they produce more income than the chickens I have no problems with them taking some...................

Sugar in bowl is not as good as the grain dust. But you can make a 50/50 solution of sugar water and place that out on the warm days, put some floating material on the top so the bees don't drown. They will prefer mostly the syrup and pass up the grain.

 

[wegotchickens1234]

I have bees are all in the chicken coop yard and around the chicken coop. Today they are all yelling and making a big racket even the rooster. The rooster is staying in the coop and the chickens are all sitting under the other raised coop. Are the bees bothering them, or there may have been a hawk around (that is how they act when tehere is a hawk. We never had bees in the coop before. Is that dangerious for the birds? Will they get stung? Can I safely spray bee spray in the coop at the bees or with that poision my chickens?

 

[Sara Ranch]

I have noticed that the bees (all kinds of bees!) gather around the chicken/ducks areas. They LOVE the poop! Not sure about the feed or not...since very little feed out.

The bees have never seemed to bother the animals or myself. They just want/love the poop!

 

[Chickassan]

The bees don't bother chickens so it was something else that's got them worked up. And no don't spray the bees it's not good for anyone the chickens, the bees, or yourself in the big scope of it all.

I have bees are all in the chicken coop yard and around the chicken coop. Today they are all yelling and making a big racket even the rooster. The rooster is staying in the coop and the chickens are all sitting under the other raised coop. Are the bees bothering them, or there may have been a hawk around (that is how they act when tehere is a hawk. We never had bees in the coop before. Is that dangerious for the birds? Will they get stung? Can I safely spray bee spray in the coop at the bees or with that poision my chickens?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would never spray insecticide around my birds, there's no way you can pick up every dead insect and that stuff will just linger on the vegetation.

If you can figure out where the bees are coming from (if there's an actual swarm), many beekeepers are happy to remove bees for free.