Drinking water for Bees

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understanding_bees

House Bee
***
Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Messages
344
Reaction score
310
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Hive Type
Langstroth
I want to help my bees as much as possible, to thrive, so that their colony can succeed and survive year by year (and that I can get some honey as well!) Although I am fairly new to this role as a beekeeper, the things I have read (and my own observation) indicate that bees do not always automatically do as well as we would like. Not all hives survive a cold winter, and they can have a difficult time in a hot summer when conditions can be very dry.

I realise that here in Australia we are six months out of phase with Northern Hemisphere countries, and also that some bee keeping countries do not have the same very dry conditions that we have here.

Last summer there were days when I observed large numbers of bees bearding on the outside of their hive box, because (apparently) it was rather too warm for them inside of their hive. I had provided a source of water for them, but they had not found it. As it turned out, I had to service my evaporative air cooler (in the heat of summer), which then drained water onto the roof and into the gutter which contained leaves and debris. I cleaned out this debris from the gutter, and while it was lying, sodden, on the ground, some bees found those very wet partly composted leaves which had been in the house gutter.

I realised that it would not take long, in the hot sun, for this wet material to dry out. I had an idea, and used a spade to scoop up some of this wet material while bees were drinking from it. I wanted to be as careful as possible, to avoid scaring the bees away, and was able to transfer this wet material and the bees on it, to the source of water which I had provided for them. Success! It was fascinating to see that within a very short time, there were numbers of bees coming and going in a steady stream to collect water and take it back to their hive.

But I have a problem. The bees that collected water last summer have long since departed this life. We have had a wet winter, and the bees which are out foraging now can find water easily without having to come to that which I have provided for them. The bees do not seem to have any collective memory of what was provided for their older siblings last summer. How can we as beekeepers help the bees to find, and use, the water we have provided for them?
 
Hi Understanding Bees,

I've found a dripping tap or water onto the soil seemed to attract them to the wet soil...when things dried out after spring . I couldn't get them to my bird bath water source prior to the water dripping on the soil near it. They soon moved up to the bird bath when I turned the hose off and then locked onto it.
 
But I have a problem. The bees that collected water last summer have long since departed this life. We have had a wet winter, and the bees which are out foraging now can find water easily without having to come to that which I have provided for them. The bees do not seem to have any collective memory of what was provided for their older siblings last summer. How can we as beekeepers help the bees to find, and use, the water we have provided for them?

Bees send out scouts far and wide. They will find water sources easily enough. Don't worry about it
 
But a pot of compost stood in a bowl of water placed in the sun won't go amiss!
 
I put fresh water daily in a bird bath near the hives (birds don’t use it as the cats lurks nearby)
I put in 3 large pebbles for the bees to land on, but I sometimes get a very small amount of algae in the water....anyone got a solution to this annoyance please?
 
I put fresh water daily in a bird bath near the hives (birds don’t use it as the cats lurks nearby)
I put in 3 large pebbles for the bees to land on, but I sometimes get a very small amount of algae in the water....anyone got a solution to this annoyance please?
When I had my experience with bees drinking from the wet compost material, I commented under a Youtube video which had discussed the subject of what preferences had with regard to fresh water, pond water, swimming pool water, etc. I cannot remember now the beekeeper who had posted the video, but I received feedback that bees seem to show a preference for "flavoured" water - in other words it seems that they may enjoy the mineralisation, or whatever else might be dissolved in the water.
In answer to your question, I think that the bees may not regard the algae as a problem.
 
When I had my experience with bees drinking from the wet compost material, I commented under a Youtube video which had discussed the subject of what preferences had with regard to fresh water, pond water, swimming pool water, etc. I cannot remember now the beekeeper who had posted the video, but I received feedback that bees seem to show a preference for "flavoured" water - in other words it seems that they may enjoy the mineralisation, or whatever else might be dissolved in the water.
In answer to your question, I think that the bees may not regard the algae as a problem.
That’s making me feel a wee bit better as I put my bee suit on daily, turf out the water from the birdbath and give the bird bath a quick wipe before I refill it, having resisted the urge to scrub the pebbles.
 
I received feedback that bees seem to show a preference for "flavoured" water - in other words it seems that they may enjoy the mineralisation, or whatever else might be dissolved in the water.
In answer to your question, I think that the bees may not regard the algae as a problem.
I have a pond next to my bees and they do use the edges on a sunny day.
They seem to like slurry puddles too.
 
You could put out a supply of Evian in china bowls and the bees will still prefer to drink from the ditch/plant pot/slimy puddle
No pebbles will be scubbed!
 
our bees and the wild ones here love the unmaintaned pond, on a hot day there will be lots of bees comeing and going landing on the pond weed to drink from the pond they seem to ignore all of the other water sources
 
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