Leon Bright et al,
Here is a response I got from CSU entomologist extraordinaire, Dr. Whitney
Cranshaw, re your question about why honey bees seem to be attracted to cracked
corn at your Pueblo bird feeding station:
[Honey bees
visiting bird feeders in late winter or very early spring, before
anything is blossoming, is something I have heard on several occasions.
I
am pretty sure that on warm days that allow them to fly, they are
looking for food - pollen. (After they have defecated, which is the
most important thing to get out of the way when a day arrives that let's
them finally leave the hive.) And in the absence of any pollen they
collect pollen-like materials. The small particles from
broken seed/corn at bird feeders is one thing they collect, but I have
also heard of honey bees collecting sawdust and even coffee ground from
compost piles.
I
doubt they are getting much, if any, nutrition from these non-pollen
materials. But they are hardwired to seek food and go to a Plan B when
pollen is not present, even if the result is without benefit.
Whitney ]
I think this answers the question definitively.
Cheers,
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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