# The benefits of wood-rotting fungi



## Notapro (Dec 16, 2014)

Al,

I have read something similar in the oast and find it interesting. I have a pond in the back yard and yes, the bees are gathering water there but I see most of the bees on the rotting vegetation (leaves and pieces of wood) rather than right at the waters edge. Since reading the article about fungi earlier I have often wondered if they are not only picking up water but also the fungi from the rotting vegetation. The bees are also very interested in the dripping moisture from my black soldier fly compost bin and I have wondered why they like that so much as well.

It is funny the things you pick up on and wonder about when you start keeping bees in the yard!

Thanks fir the info!


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## bee bud (Mar 15, 2016)

you might like these videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_lqIUlON1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eOuC3mtO1A


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## Al Stein (Feb 21, 2017)

Good find!

The first video is mostly about the attempt to create a fungal treatment against the varroa mite. I don't think that worked out.

That second video has more info in it. You can see on the screen behind him the mushrooms that he sees bees go for.


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## Al Stein (Feb 21, 2017)

Love it!
The bees go crazy for some of my plants, but not all, and also not my compost.
I suspect that different areas have different varieties of food available, and different types missing.
How to become a nutritionist for the local bees would mean maybe setting out a variety of things to see what they prefer?
I don't own bees. Do you guys do that kind of thing? I mean test your bees to see what they need in their diet?


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

I ran into an article this past week regarding woodpeckers and fungi. One species of woodpecker has now been demonstrated to innoculate the cavities of trees with fungi, apparently to soften the wood so they can enlarge the cavity.

Since bees use tree cavities in nature, one can guess they might do the same trick. Rather than adding supers, if they encourage fungal attack on the wood, they might soften the wood enough that they can enlarge the cavity themselves. At the very least, if they occupy old woodpecker holes, fungi should be present.


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## Al Stein (Feb 21, 2017)

I did not know that! Makes perfect sense though.
I do know that there is an African sting-less bee that has Monascus fungus in their hives.
It's eaten by the larva, and I guess has become a necessary part of their life cycle.
I don't think these bees are doing anything intentional, like the woodpecker or like some termites do.
Considering that virtually every plant has fungi attached to their roots, (the white fuzz under some rocks), these relationships must be everywhere.


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