Attracted to salt?

[keithgrimes]

At our association meeting yesterday, one of our experienced members stated that bees could be 'trained' to a water source by adding salt to the water. This is new to me. Any comments? True or balderdash?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Could have a point - they do seem partial to weewee - they always seem to home in on the used dog training pads when I put them outside before binning them

 

[alldigging]

It's in one of the books. Possibly David Cramp.
About salty water - adding a bit of salt to get them interested.
And that they like pee and runoff from septic tanks and things like that.

 

[drstitson]

clove oil may be used in sugar solutions when bee lining to find feral colonies.

apparently the strong scent overpowers others in the hive and thus "programs" the foragers for that source.

 

[ratcatcher]

I read somewhere, that when us lot have bbq's that attract wasps/bees etc, its not the fizzy drinks and sugary stuff that attracts them, but the salt in our sweat, and therefore placing an animal salt lick block 20mtrs or so away, would keep your party area free of insects, not tried it yet, but makes sense

 

[alanf]

placing an animal salt lick block 20mtrs or so away, would keep your party area free of insects

Or attract all the insects from half a mile away to within 20m of your party...

 

[Finman]

.
I have tried salt in water but I have not found any difference in drinking.

Sunny spot is very important in drinking place.

 

[peteinwilts]

they are probably after the minerals in sweat and salt licks, rather than the salt itself

 

[REDWOOD]

There was a thread on this last year with 2 water feeders one with and one without salt and the bees drank from the salted one, there where replies of cattle salt blocks being used and salt being licked off shoes that have been on the beach, there seems to be a liking to salt and probably for their own good but would only let bees choose not force fed in syrup or fondant

 

[DorsetB]

Gilles Fert, in his book on queen raising, recommends adding salt to the water bucket you put out for them.

I also noticed recently they were all over the horse manure next to the compost heap, so I made up 3 buckets of bee water:

1: water with a drop of peppermnint oil, as recommended in... can't remember which book

2: water with a teaspoonful of salt

3: water with horse manure

All made up with rainwater, I never use tap water.

One lump or was it two, later, and they were soon crowding round bucket No.3...

 

[Finman]

.
You really have wrong footprints if you feed salt to bees.

You may see couple of bees taking water from piss patch but you do not notice that hundreds of water foragers are out and drink normal water.
When night mist is on plant leaves, huge amount of water foragers come out soon when morning becomes warm.

 

[Heather]

That may answer my query- I have a brick garden wall and the bees keep 'nuzzling' into the indents and apparently feeding - but the wall dry. I did wonder if they were after salt. Another time wasting exercise- watching them.