Bee hives and ponds

[tom8400]

Hi all

A little query before I start digging. So I did notice in a thread there was mention of colonies failing and lots of theory's basing it on being near a pond and damp mist.

I assume this was said because the pond in question and hives were in a dip, and the pond was believed to be a pond and not your plastic liner type pond?

To cut to the point I have 7 hives in the corner of the garden furthest from the house, I have a medium sized pond by the door which you bet is always covered in bees saves them going a long way for water. However they fly into me, the dog or anyone else that happens to be walking in and out. So I feel I need to provide them with a alternative, easy get the digger out and dig a small pond right in front of the hives.

So I acquired another plastic liner say 8ft by 4ft type thing and planned to put it 8ft in front of a couple of the hives. Then I read said thread and note the comments regarding the pond near the hives. I will mention this is flat ground and sheltered by trees but open toward the sun for most of the day.

Is this a good plan or should I site it elsewhere but closer than the other? It all seemed perfect until the damp mist was mentioned in a different thread and it's made me wonder

 

[Erichalfbee]

My seven hives are ten feet away from a pond but entrances are facing away. They do collect water at the sunny edges. I wouldn’t put the pond in front of the hives. Away to the side or at the back is fine

 

[drdrday]

I think you should be prepared that the bees might still snub your hard work building them their own pond.
I tried a big shallow tray full of soil, moss and stones last year, about 12m closer to the hives than the garden pond. All ingredients carefully selected to tempt them, shallow so that the water warmed up quicker for them, and they completely ignored it!
Not to say don't try it, but just don't be too disappointed if it doesn't work out as planned.

 

[gmonag]

The trouble is, you can lead a bee to water but you can't make her drink.

They always seem to prefer the "wrong" water source. You could try putting a few water feeders out nearer the hives.

 

[gmonag]

It is possible to train the bees to use a water feeder, by putting it next to whatever source they prefer. You can then move it slowly to where you want, especially if that source dries up (although that would be tricky for you)

 

[Fiona in South View]

I have had problems with 2 sites where there was a natural pond, but the ground was clay and usually, over winter, very squelchy. I had a higher rate of winter loss and the wooden hives seemed to be permanently damp on the outside. Things greatly improved when I tried a poly hive and improved for the wood when I changed sites. A man made pond won’t have those issues so go ahead, being mindful of other comments on here

 

[Widget]

I have 2 hives at the bottom of my garden where I also have 2 ponds and a stream. However, last year the bees were gathering around the water pipe from my kitchen sink. I had to start doing my washing at night and emptying washing up water by carrying the bowl outside and tipping it down the drain as the bees would gather inside the pipe. My friend suggested that it might be the mineral deposits that were attracting the bees; I live in a hard water area. While looking for something else on Youtube I found a piece about what type of water bees prefer and they seemed to prefer water with pink Himalayan salt in. I started putting a pinch of pink Himalayan salt in rainwater and putting that in my bird bath. Now the bees go to the bird bath to drink instead. I rarely see them drinking from the pond and they have stopped coming to the waste pipe.