Do you provide drinking water for your bees?

[Codford]

Apparently some do, others don't. Curious to see what the situation out there is.

 

[Antipodes]

It's a legal requirement in some municipalities here .... we seem to be generally more regulated here with regard to beekeeping.

 

[E&MBees]

I provide a dish of water mixed with compost by the hive. The bees also fly to the pond and bird bath in the garden to collect water.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes I do.
I have put them near a pond

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i provide water near the hives but rarely see them use it...theyre a few hundred yards from water anyway so they make their own minds up

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's a legal requirement in some municipalities here

I can understand why where you are, but here?
Never seen anyone in Africa put drinking water out for the bees.
I think it must just be an English thing.

 

[philipm]

Plenty of drinking water around me in the nearby stream but the bees seem to like going to the farm next door where the cows are, plenty of dirty water.

 

[Murox]

More than enough natural water sources very nearby.

 

[B+.]

Plenty of drinking water around me in the nearby stream but the bees seem to like going to the farm next door where the cows are, plenty of dirty water.

My "top-5" list of conditions I look for when considering an apiary site are:
1. Access by vehicle
2. liability to flooding
3. Protection from prevailing wind
4. nearby source of water (stream/ditches)
5. Public right-of-way nearby (security)

 

[Repwoc]

Pond and water butts.

 

[masterBK]

nearby water source?

 

[Anduril]

Taking the literal meaning, I voted no. I don't provide the water, it was already there, when I set up the apiaries.

 

[XYZ]

We currently have a sad excuse of a "drinking dish" on the deck near them. They prefer neighbour's bird bath anyway. Might have to get one in hope of them not annoying the neighbours.

 

[Heather]

I have streams, lakes and small waterfall near apiaries... but once accidentally left a flower arrangement oasis sponge near one lot.. they ignored all other sources and about 20 bees at a time were sucking the water from this..
And once had great photo of bees lined up either side of my garden waterfall, safely at waters edge. .

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

I have a stream running through the garden, I provide a bird bath but it's never used by the bees, they drink from a dirty plant tray, suck water from an outside door mat and my neighbours pond. I have seen them in my gutters when I clean them too.

 

[mintmoth]

There are two fishing lakes plus the brook that feeds them less than 200 yards away. Though when the ditch at the back of the hives is boggy they use that.

 

[Amari]

No
Plenty of water 100m away.
When I take a hive to the heather on Dunwich Heath, Suffolk, or decades ago to the heather above Llangollen, visible water is/was miles rather than metres distant.

 

[thedozzer]

We provide water for the bees, and after reading a bit about bees being attracted to saline water sources, we do add some salt to the little dish they have, between the hives and they seem to like it?

 

[Antipodes]

My understanding is that one reason a water supply is regulated here is to provide an alternative water source for the bees other than backyard swimming pools. Swimming pools are particularly attractive apparently....such pools are an obvious urban bee water source and I also understand the water gets a little salty with the constant evaporation.

 

[pargyle]

such pools are an obvious urban bee water source and I also understand the water gets a little salty with the constant evaporation.

Hmm ... is that a euphemism for being lazy and not getting out when you need to pee ?