Hey Renee! If you have 5 lives at the start of a game of Farm Heroes Saga, all additional lives that have been sent to you by friends automatically turn into beans. I hope this helps.
I have this same issue - in the past they would just sit in my inbox and I could receive them once I used the lives I start the game with. Why bother to ask for lives because you will always start the games with 5?
All the other king games, the lives sent can be stored in the inbox until you need them. Now I never get lives only beans! Very frustrating! Yes we need beans but we also need lives to use the beans!